Gastric emptying study explained

Gastric emptying study
Synonyms:	Gastric emptying sccan, gastric emptying scintigraphy

A gastric emptying study is a nuclear medicine study which provides an assessment of the stomach's ability to empty. It may be used if there are complications after gastric surgery, for gastric reflux, or suspected gastroparesis amongst other indications.^[1] Scintigraphy that uses gamma cameras to create two-dimensional images is generally regarded as the gold standard for gastric emptying.^{[2] [3]}

Procedure

Having fasted for around four hours before the study, the patient is given a solid or semi-solid meal, such as scrambled eggs on toast or porridge, which has been prepared with a radiopharmaceutical component. Typically technetium-99m sulphur colloid or DTPA is used.^{[4] [5]} Some studies may also involve a liquid component, which is labelled with indium-111 DTPA. Images are acquired with a gamma camera, initially dynamically and then at intervals for up to 2-3 hours.^[6]

Analysis

The stomach time-activity curve is produced from geometric mean of anterior and posterior imaging. Half-emptying time, the lag-phase duration for solid studies, and percentage of food left at various time points are calculated.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gastric Emptying Guideline. BNMS. March 2015.
2. Schmidt. Peter Thelin. Abrahamsson. Hasse. Dolk. Anders. Hausken. Trygve. Karling. Pontus. Lindberg. Greger. Nyhlin. Henry. Ohlsson. Bodil. Simrèn. Magnus. Sjölund. Kristina. Stotzer. Per-Olof. Törnblom. Hans. Methods to assess gastric motility and sensation. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. 8 July 2009. 43. 11. 1285–1295. 10.1080/00365520802240263. 18618332. 24056361.
3. Masaoka. Tatsuhiro. Tack. Jan. Gastroparesis: Current Concepts and Management. Gut and Liver. 30 September 2009. 3. 3. 166–173. 10.5009/gnl.2009.3.3.166. 20431741. 2852706.
4. Book: Zolle . Ilse . Technetium-99m Pharmaceuticals: Preparation and Quality Control in Nuclear Medicine . 2007 . Springer Science & Business Media . 9783540339908 . 300 . en.
5. Donohoe. K. J.. Maurer. A. H.. Ziessman. H. A.. Urbain. J.-L. C.. Royal. H. D.. Martin-Comin. J.. Procedure Guideline for Adult Solid-Meal Gastric-Emptying Study 3.0. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. 19 August 2009. 37. 3. 196–200. 10.2967/jnmt.109.067843. 19692450. free.
6. Seok. Ju Won. How to Interpret Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. 30 April 2011. 17. 2. 189–191. 10.5056/jnm.2011.17.2.189. 21602998. 3093013.
7. Book: Watson . Nick . Chapman & Nakielny's Guide to Radiological Procedures . 15 November 2013 . Elvesier Health Sciences . 9780702054792 . 88 . 22 December 2020.