Investigation of gastric emptying disorders in patients with functional dyspepsia reveals impaired inhibitory gastric emptying regulation in the early postcibal period.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The aim of the study was to investigate gastric emptying profiles in patients with postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) as a means to understand relationships between gastric emptying and dyspepsia. METHODS Gastric emptying times were measured using a (13)C breath test. In addition to comparisons of (13)C half excretion times (t 1/2 ex) between patients with PDS and healthy subjects, gastric emptying (%dose/h) curves were analyzed using a multipeak curve-fitting technique, and fitted curves were differentiated to measure the slope of curves for each time point. RESULTS (1) During the early postcibal period, the slope of %dose/h curves in 27% of patients with PDS was larger than the average slope derived from healthy subjects. The t 1/2 ex was also higher in these patients relative to healthy subjects. (2) During the midpostcibal period, the slope of %dose/h curves in 36% of PDS patients was larger than the average slope derived from healthy subjects. There was a trend toward lower t 1/2 ex values for these patients relative to control subjects. (3) When t 1/2 ex was calculated overall, however, there was no significant difference between healthy subjects and patients with PDS. CONCLUSION Our findings document abnormal gastric outflow in patients with PDS. In some patients, there appears to be a significant correspondence between PDS-related dyspepsia and accelerated gastric emptying in the early postcibal period, whereas other patients showed a similar correspondence between dyspepsia and impaired inhibitory gastric emptying regulation in the midpostcibal period.