ELECTROGASTROGRAPHY AND GASTRIC-EMPTYING SCINTIGRAPHY ARE COMPLEMENTARY FOR ASSESSMENT OF DYSPEPSIA

We have tried to correlate abnormalities in electrogastrography (EGG) and gastric emptying (GE) with symptom severity in patients with funct ional dyspepsia. Seventy-two patients with functional dyspepsia underw ent EGG, GE, and symptom severity quantitation. EGGs were assessed for dominant frequency (DF), percentage of time of DF in the 2 to 4 cpm r ange, and postprandial-fasting DF power ratio. Solid-phase GE scintigr aphy was assessed for 2-hour percentage retention. Symptoms of upper a bdominal discomfort, early satiety, postprandial abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia were graded as none (0), mild (1), mod erate (2), and severe (3); the sum represented a total symptom score. The EGG was abnormal in 11 of 22 (50%) patients with delayed GE compar ed with 11 of 50 (22%) with normal GE (p < 0.025). The total symptom s cores were higher in patients with both delayed GE and abnormal EGG co mpared with patients with normal GE and EGG, normal GE and abnormal EG G, and delayed GE and normal EGG. We conclude that EGG abnormalities a re more common in dyspeptic patients with delayed GE. Patients with bo th delayed GE and abnormal EGG have more severe symptoms. Our results suggest that EGG and GE complement each other in correlating symptoms to gastric dysmotility.