Concurrent assessment of reservoir and emptying of the stomach for dyspepsia patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We simultaneously examined the reservoir function of the stomach as well as emptying by one single assessment for gastric emptying, and investigated their association in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). Next, we examined the interaction between the association and abdominal symptoms.

METHODOLOGY: Sixty-one FD patients according to the Rome III criteria were recruited for this study. We measured the radioactive changes of the proximal and the whole stomach by the scintigraphy until 120 min, and assessed the reservoir function and the respective half-emptying time. We assessed the symptoms by the previously validated questionnaires.

RESULTS

Disordered emptying was seen in 55.7% (34/61) of patients, delay in 67.6% (23/34), and acceleration in 32.4% (11/34). Impaired reservoir function was found in 49.2% (30/61) of patients, which had an association with delayed (p = 0.025) and disordered (delay+acceleration) emptying (p = 0.027). Through the period, the radioactive decrease was dynamic in the normal, but virtually unchanged in the impaired reservoir function group. Symptoms in the motility disordered group tended to be more severe than in the normal group.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric reservoir function was associated with emptying in FD patients. Abdominal symptoms of FD patients were partly derived from the impairment of coordinated gastric motility.