Post-synchronized scintigraphic data to estimate antral motility

We evaluated an improved dynamic antral scintigraphy (DAS) technique, witho ut any frequency filtering or computation of an autocorrelation function. T his DAS was performed in 15 consecutive patients and 10 healthy volunteers. Antral frequency was first estimated and was given as an input parameter t o compute phase and amplitude values in each antral pixel. Motility indices were calculated by multiplying the frequency by a normalized amplitude in the whole antrum. in addition, a gastric emptying (GE) test was performed. Only 10 patients had a delayed GE when using a cut-off value of the mean of half emptying time (T-1/2+2SD) obtained in controls. Antral frequencies we re significantly increased but motility indices were significantly lower in patients than in controls. These results in patients were accounted for by a retention of food in the antrum. Therefore, amplitude normalization by t he antral mean count activity of each set of data was essential for discrim inating between patients and controls and normalized indices appeared early predictors of hypomotility in patients with normal GE. This improved DAS t echnique should be a useful tool to assess antral dysmotility noninvasively , and may be of physiological and clinical interest. ((C) 2001 Lippincott W illiams & Wilkins).