A STUDY OF GASTRIC-EMPTYING IN NONULCER DYSPEPSIA USING A NEW ULTRASONOGRAPHIC METHOD

To ascertain the effect of gastric emptying on the symptoms of non-ulc er dyspepsia (NUD) patients, we randomly selected 60 NUD patients and, as control, 26 dyspepsia-free volunteers. We measured the gastric emp tying time of mixed food (270 kcal), using real-time ultrasonography i n two ways. NUD patients were divided randomly into two groups and giv en domperidone or placebo in a double-blind trial. Of the NUD patients 48% had delayed gastric emptying times and associated epigastric pain , bloating, early satiety, and regurgitation. A prokinetic agent not o nly improved emptying time but also relieved some of the symptoms of t he NUD patients. Real-time ultrasonography proved a useful method for evaluating gastric emptying.