Influence of Age and Gender on Solid Gastric Emptying

Nah, Yong Ho; Choi, Suck Chei; Seo, Geom Seog; Kim, Jin Ah; Lee, Choon Ho

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Measurement of gastric emptying using meals labeled with radioisotopes is widely used clinically and for investigative purposes because it is a noninvasive technique that is more physiologic and quantifiable than other methods. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the variation of solid gastric emptying rate in normal subjects by age and sex.
METHODS
Gastric scintigraphy using a dual head gamma camera (Vertex-Plus, ADAC, USA) was performed in 60 normal subjects after ingestion of the mixture of 99mTc-labeled egg, milk and Kimbab (611 Kcal) in order to determine gastric emptying time. Data acquisition was performed for 120 minutes with 15 minutes intervals and geometric mean and decay correction were calculated for gastric emptying time.
RESULTS
1) The half time of solid gastric emptying in female subjects was significantly longer than male subjects in all age groups (p<0.01), but there were no significant differences between each age group. 2) In fernale subjects, gastric emptying rates were significantly slower than rnale after 45 minutes except at the age of thirty (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
It is desirable to establish standardization and normal value for solid gastric emptying in order to diagnose and evaluate the response of treatment in patients with functional gastric disorders.