The effect of trimebutine maleate on gastric emptying in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia

The study was designed to investigate the effect of trimebutine maleate, a drug used in both hyperkinetic and hypokinetic motility disorders, on gastr ic emptying in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia having prolonged gastric e mptying rates and to compare the parameters used for the determination of t he lag period observed during the emptying of solid foods from the stomach. Gastric emptying was measured by the radionuclide technique. Twenty normal volunteers and 43 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia participated in the st udy. Radionuclide imaging was performed by using a solid meal labeled with Tc-99m-tin colloid. Of the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, 20 had prolon ged gastric emptying. They were given three weeks of oral treatment with tr imebutine maleate and had their radionuclide gastric emptying study repeate d. Treatment with trimebutine maleate resulted in reduction in duration of the lag period and less retention of food at 100 minutes (p < 0.0005). Afte r treatment with trimebutine maleate, no significant difference has been ob served in the mean symptom score of patients with prolonged gastric emptyin g. Among the parameters used for the determination of the lag period, lag p eriod determined by a mathematical equation (TLAG) has been found to be lon ger than the lag period determined by visual inspection of the images (VLAG ) and there was correlation between the two parameters when the lag time wa s short.