Utility of total gastrointestinal transit scintigraphy in the evaluation of patients with VEDOSS and systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE

The gastrointestinal tract is one of the systems most frequently involved in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The objective was to analyze gastrointestinal functional involvement by means of total gastrointestinal transit scintigraphy in patients with established SSc and in the early stages (VEDOSS), comparing both groups and evaluating the relationship between scintigraphic findings and general clinical and pulmonary functional variables.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Prospective study with 30 patients (21 with VEDOSS and 9 with SSc). Clinical, laboratory, imaging and pulmonary function parameters were evaluated. The scintigraphic study included esophageal transit, gastric emptying of solids and liquids, small bowel transit and colonic transit up to 72 h. Progression was analyzed by means of quantitative regional transit parameters, including the colonic geometric center.

RESULTS

The study was abnormal in 85.7% of patients with VEDOSS and in 88.8% of patients with SSc. The most frequent abnormalities were observed in the esophagus (60% of cases), colon (56.7%) and solid gastric emptying (30%). No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups under study. A total of 46.7% of patients presented altered patterns in several segments. A significant correlation was found between disease duration and quantitative esophageal transit values, with no association between scintigraphic findings and pulmonary function tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastrointestinal involvement in SSc was highly prevalent, heterogeneous and detectable from the early stages of the process. Total gastrointestinal transit scintigraphy provided a global and regional evaluation, facilitating the early diagnosis of dysmotility and optimizing personalized patient follow-up.