[Evaluation of stomach emptying in patients with hyperthyroidism]

The study aimed at the evaluation of the kinetics of gastric emptying (GE) of a solid meal in hyperthyroid patients during a pharmacological treatment with thiamazole until the moment of euthyroid restoration. Fourteen female patients ((33.4 +/- 2.6 y, mean +/- SE) with recently diagnosed hyperthyreosis took part in the study. Twelve age matched healthy women (34.5 +/- 2.3 y) constituted a control group (C). Every patient underwent the GE examination before treatment (I). In 12 patients the GE was reexamined on the 3rd treatment week (II). After the achievement of euthyroid, which happened after 4.5 mo (median; interquartile range 2.0 to 7.3 mo), a third GE measurement was taken in 13 patients (III). The GE of a 99mTc-labelled solid meal was measured with the use of a gamma camera. Time-activity curves from the gastric region of interest were used, after subjection to appropriate corrective procedures, to calculate the mean gastric transit time (MTT 90) and the fraction of the test meal retained in the stomach after 90 min (F90). Before the treatment and on the third week of management the GE of hyperthyroidism was not statistically significantly different from that of healthy controls (MTT90:39.44 +/- 0.30 min [I] 39.31 +/- 0.64 min [II] and 40.06 +/- 0.29 [C]; F90:46.6 +/- 1.9% [I], 47.9 +/- 3.7% [II] and 50.8 +/- 2.4% [C]). The restoration of euthyreosis was accompanied by a slight but statistically significant increase in the GE -p < 0.05 in the case of F90 vs the pre-treatment situation. Also the patients' GE was found then to be slightly but statistically faster than in healthy controls (MTT90:38.72 +/- 0.39 min [III], and F90: 42.2 +/- 2.3% [III] -p < 0.05 vs [C] for both parameters). We conclude that in hyperthyreotic women the GE of solids does not differ significantly from age-matched healthy female controls and remains unchanged during a pharmacological treatment. After achievement of euthyreosis a slightly but statistically significantly faster GE is observed in the patients when compared to healthy controls.