GASTRIC-EMPTYING IN CHILDREN

This article reviews the evaluation of gastric emptying in children wi th emphasis on scintigraphic techniques. The mechanism of emptying as well as how quantitation may vary with patient positioning, the compos ition of the standard meal and possibly the size of the meal are discu ssed. Preliminary data suggest that for children under the age of 2 yr , meal size is less critical. Although normal ranges need to be determ ined by individual laboratories, values reported in the literature may be used as a guide. Quantitation is useful for the follow-up of patie nts on therapy.