Gastric Motor Function Measurement in Dyspepsia and Normal Subjects

Simultaneous Gastric Motor Function Measurement in Dyspepsia And Normal Subjects Ingesting a Solid-Liquid Meal

This study is being done to measure the functions of the stomach after eating a meal and to develop a new method that will simultaneously measure both gastric emptying and the relaxation of the stomach after a meal using nuclear medicine testing. This would make the testing more convenient for patients and will also offer better understanding of these two gastric functions.

Inclusion criteria:

Dyspeptic Subjects:

• Recurrent episodes of upper abdominal pain or discomfort including early satiety, fullness, bloating, or nausea for at least 3 months in the prior year.
• A baseline impaired satiety test (maximum tolerated volume 25% of normal or 1000cc).
• No evidence on esophagogastroduodenoscopy of erosions, peptic ulcer, pyloric obstruction, esophagitis or malignancy in the prior 3 years.

All Subjects:

• No history suggestive of small bowel obstruction.

Exclusion criteria

• No structural or metabolic diseases/conditions that affect the gastrointestinal system.

• Unable to stop medications 48 hours prior to the study that:

  • Alter GI transit including laxatives, magnesium or aluminum-containing antacids, prokinetics, erythromycin, narcotics, anticholinergics, tricyclic antidepressants, SSRI and newer antidepressants.
  • Analgesic drugs including opiates, NSAID, COX 2 inhibitors
  • Systemic antifungal drugs
  • Carbamazepine, glucocorticoids, phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampin, but also grapefruit juice.
  • Benzodiazepines NOTE: Low stable doses of thyroid replacement, estrogen replacement, low dose aspirin for cardioprotection and birth control pills or depot injections are permissible.

• Female subjects who are pregnant or breast feeding.

• Significant cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, hepatic, gastrointestinal, hematological, neurological, psychiatric, or other disease that interfere with the objectives of the study.

• Subjects who have participated in another clinical study within the past 30 days.

• Previous gastric or intestinal surgery (except appendectomy , cholecystectomy or hysterectomy).