Effect of 16,16-dimethylPGE2 on gastric emptying and intestinal transit of a barium-food test meal in man.

The effect of 140 mug of 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 on gastric emptying and intestinal transit of a barium-food mixture has been studied in 8 healthy male volunteers. The propagation of the test meal was followed from the stomach to the colon by fluoroscopy wit repeated photograph ic recording. It was found that this analog significantly enhanced the rate of gastric emptying in most subjects, and the food-contrast medium also appeared sooner in the colon following the prostaglandin analog. In addition, the duodenum and the first part of the jejunum had a flaccid and dilated appearance on several occasions after administration of prostaglandin. The more rapid emptying of the stomach after administration of the prostaglandin analog is probably explained by a decreased duodenal resistance towards the gastric outflow; the earlier appearance of contrast in the colon could partly be due to the more rapid gastric emptying following administration of the prostaglandin analog.