Am. Caballeroplasencia et al., GASTROPARESIS OF DIGESTIBLE AND INDIGESTIBLE SOLIDS IN PATIENTS WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS OR FUNCTIONAL DYSPEPSIA, Digestive diseases and sciences, 39(7), 1994, pp. 1409-1415
Gastric emptying of a solid meal and of 10 indigestible radiopaque sol
ids was measured with scintigraphic and radiological techniques in 50
healthy volunteers (controls), 41 patients with insulin-dependent diab
etes mellitus, and 50 patients with functional dyspepsia. Gastroparesi
s was found in 51% of our diabetic patients and 74% of our patients wi
th dyspepsia. The values of T-lag, T-1/2 and the percentage of isotope
remaining in the stomach at 3.05 min were 14.9 min, 59.4 min and 25.3
% in control subjects; 21.4 min, 88.1 min, and 46.9% in diabetic patie
nts (P < 0.05 vs the control group); and 23.2 min, 114.6 min, and 58.7
% in dyspeptic patients (P < 0.05 vs the control group). Whereas all h
ealthy volunteers emptied all 10 indigestible solids in less than 4 hr
, only 51% and 32% of diabetics and dyspeptics, respectively, achieved
this emptying time (P < 0.01). Their respective values of T-1/2 were
81 min, 212 min, and 203 min (P < 0.01 for; diabetics and dyspeptics v
s controls). We found no correlation between the findings for gastric
emptying of digestible and indigestible solids. We conclude that gastr
oparesis affecting digestive and interdigestive motility is present in
a high percentage of diabetics and functional dyspeptics and that con
scientious evaluation of gastroparesis in both groups requires studies
designed specifically to characterize each type of motility.