Drink tests in functional dyspepsia: which drink is best?

BACKGROUND

Drinking capacity is often reduced in functional dyspepsia. Drink tests may therefore have diagnostic potential. A simple drink test in combination with ultrasonography was applied in this study, the aim being to find the best drink for this test.

METHODS

On separate days, 10 patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and 10 healthy controls (C) drank three different test meals (Nutridrink 150 kcal/100 mL, meat soup 4 kcal/100 mL and water) at a rate of 100 mL/min until maximal drinking capacity. Intragastric volume at maximal drinking capacity was determined using 3-dimensional ultrasonography.

RESULTS

Drinking capacity (P < 0.05) and intragastric volume (P < 0.01) were significantly lower in patients than in the controls with the meat soup meal, but not with Nutridrink or water. Gastric emptying distinguished significantly (P < 0.05) between patients and controls only with Nutridrink. Gastric emptying of Nutridrink was significantly correlated to the rate by which nausea was induced (P = 0.02), while gastric emptying of meat soup was significantly negatively correlated to the rate by which fullness was induced (P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that optimal discrimination between patients and controls was obtained by the combined test results of symptoms per intragastric volume using meat soup as the test meal.

CONCLUSION

For the non-invasive diagnosis of functional dyspepsia by a rapid drink test in combination with ultrasonography, a meat soup meal is preferable compared to Nutridrink or water.