GASTROENTEROLOGY ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
October 8, 2009
Szarka L, Camilleri M. Gastric Emptying. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009;7:823-827.
1. Problems with scintigraphic gastric emptying studies include
a. Up to 15% intraindividual variation in gastric emptying times
b. No clear relationship between gastric emptying time and symptoms
c. Lack of standardization of meals and patient activities during the test period
d. Severity of gastroparesis does not correlated with gastric emptying time
e. Relatively high radiation exposure equivalent to 10 chest X-rays
True or False
2. Conditions causing abnormal gastric emptying typically affect liquid emptying before affecting solid emptying
3. Adding a radiotracer to cooked scrambled eggs constitutes an adequate marker for solid phase gastric emptying evaluation
4. Prior to performing a gastric emptying study in a diabetic, glucose control to at least < 275mg/dL on the day of the test should be ensured.
5. MRI tests of gastric emptying need further validation and standardization prior to general use