V. Arienti et al., THE EFFECTS OF LEVOSULPIRIDE ON GASTRIC AND GALLBLADDER EMPTYING IN FUNCTIONAL DYSPEPSIA, Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 8(6), 1994, pp. 631-638
Background: 50% of patients with functional dyspepsia have delayed gas
tric emptying. Levosulpiride is an orthopramide drug that stimulates g
astrointestinal motility. Aim of our study was to evaluate the effect
of levosulpiride on symptoms and gastric and gall-bladder emptying, in
dyspeptic patients. Methods: Thirty adult patients, treated for 20 da
ys with levosulpiride (75 mg/day) or placebo, were evaluated in a rand
omized double-blind study. Symptoms were assessed by a cumulative inde
x and overall intensity (visual analogue line). Gastric and gall-bladd
er emptying were evaluated by epigastric impedance (liquid meal) and r
eal-time ultrasonography (mixed meal). Results: Levosulpiride, with re
spect to placebo, accelerated the mean gastric half-emptying time of l
iquids (P < 0.05), gastric emptying (P < 0.001 at 180 min; P < 0.05 at
240 min), and gall-bladder emptying (P < 0.05 at 60 and 120 min) empt
ying after a solid-liquid mixed meal. Both the mean cumulative index (
P < 0.05) and the overall intensity (P < 0.025) of dyspeptic symptoms
were reduced significantly by levosulpiride. Conclusions: Our results
showed that levosulpiride can be usefully employed in patients affecte
d by functional dyspepsia.