Lea. Troncon et al., ABNORMAL INTRAGASTRIC DISTRIBUTION OF A LIQUID NUTRIENT MEAL IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES-MELLITUS, Digestive diseases and sciences, 43(7), 1998, pp. 1421-1429
Disordered gastric motility and emptying are well known complications
of diabetes mellitus (DM), but the pattern of intragastric distributio
n of food has not been extensively studied in diabetics. We examined t
he partition of a liquid nutrient meal between the proximal and distal
stomach and the relationships between intragastric distribution of fo
od and gastric emptying (GE) and the symptoms in DM patients with and
without autonomic neuropathy (AN). Fourteen healthy volunteers and 20
DM patients (13 with AN; 9 with dyspepsia symptoms) ingested a liquid
nutrient meal (250 mi; 437 kcal) labeled with [Tc-99m]phytate. Anterio
r and posterior serial images of the stomach were taken for 90 min wit
h a gamma camera. Regions of interest for the proximal and the distal
halves of the stomach and for the total gastric area were defined. Cou
nts from each region along time allowed estimation of GE and the propo
rtion of activity retained in the proximal stomach after meal ingestio
n (initial) and throughout GE (mean). GE half-times in controls (media
n; range: 66 min; 29-90 min) were not significantly different from dia
betics (76 min; 5-->150 min, P > 0.10), but abnormal GE was found in 1
1 DM patients (seven delayed and four rapid). In DM patients, initial
retention in the proximal stomach (42%; 16-79%) was significantly lowe
r (P < 0.02) than in controls (55%; 44-71%). Mean retention in the pro
ximal stomach throughout emptying also was significantly lower (P < 0.
05) in DM patients (43%; 18-58%) than in controls (51%; 32-69%). There
were no differences between subgroups of patients with normal, delaye
d, or rapid gastric emptying regarding mean meal retention in the prox
imal stomach. Patients with evidence of AN or with dyspepsia symptoms
had significantly decreased retention of food in the proximal stomach
throughout gastric emptying. We concluded that patients with diabetes
mellitus have abnormally decreased retention of gastric contents in th
e proximal stomach after a liquid meal, which seems to be related to t
he occurrence of autonomic neuropathy and dyspepsia symptoms, but not
to disordered gastric emptying.