REPRODUCIBILITY OF A SOLID AND OF A LIQUID CALORIC MEAL FOR GASTRIC-EMPTYING STUDIES

Simple meals are required for routine scintigraphic gastric emptying s tudies. We evaluated the reproducibility of a caloric liquid meal (520 kcal) compared to that of a solid meal (638 kcal) in 8 and 11 healthy volunteers, respectively. Gastric emptying rates and half-times were similar in two tests using the same meal, while the methods used to ex press lag times were not highly reproducible. The emptying rates and h alf-times of the liquid meal were delayed after the intake of bellafol ine. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that: (a) gastric emptying rates and half-times are reproducible parameters for the expression o f scintigraphic gastric emptying studies; (b) mathematical methods to express lag times are not highly reproducible; (c) a 500 kcal liquid m eal is sensitive to the effects of bellafoline, a drug able to delay g astric emptying. Further clinical evaluation is required to test its a pplicability in routine studies. ((C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers ).