GASTRIC-EMPTYING IN NORMAL SUBJECTS - REPRODUCIBILITY AND RELATIONSHIP TO CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MIGRATING MOTOR COMPLEX

This study was designed to clarify whether a part of the variability i n gastric emptying could be ascribed to a relationship between meal in gestion and phase activity of the migrating motor complex and whether reproducibility is increased when meal ingestion takes place in relati on to preselected characteristics of the migrating motor complex. We e xamined 12 healthy males, and the design included three examinations, twice with meal ingestion in a duodenal Phase I, and once in a Phase I I. The meal consisted of an omelette labelled with Tc-99m followed by 150 mi water labelled with In-111. The results showed that Liquid lag phase (min) and was significantly shorter in Phase II than in Phase I (1 vs. 4, P = 0.007). The half emptying time of solid linear phase (mi n) was reproduced with nearly identical median and range values in the three series (I[1]: 67[51-87]; 1[2]: 63[47-80]; 61[47-76]).meal inges tion in Phase I a significant difference between inter- and intra-indi vidual variance could not be demonstrated. With meal ingestion in Phas e l a second examination in Phase I did not increase reproducibility o f any of the variables compared to a second examination in Phase II. I n conclusion, scientific investigations on gastric emptying have to be performed with phase related meal ingestion and a double-radionuclide technique.