Radionuclide studies on gastric evacuatory function in health and in the duodenal ulcer disease. I. Types of solid meal distribution within the stomach and their relation to gastric emptying.

Solid meal distribution patterns within the stomach, as well as gastric emptying were studied in 35 healthy subjects and 34 duodenal ulcer patients. Inspection of the serial scintiscans., recorded during each gastric emptying examination, revealed three different intragastric meal distribution patterns. Distinction between the three types of meal distribution within the stomach was facilitated by the use of the proximal: distal stomach width ratio (P:D), a parameter with a proven reproducibility. The P:D ratio less than 0.7 characterized Type III stomach, whereas 0.7 less than P:D less than 1 + 45 and P:D greater than 1.45 described Types I and II, respectively. Attention was focussed on the relationship of the intragastric meal distribution patterns to total stomach emptying. A significantly higher incidence of Type III stomach in women was accompanied by delayed gastric emptying and different emptying pattern when compared to men (T1/2 107.4 +/- 5.74 versus 84.2 +/- 3.21 min, mean +/- SEM p less than 0.001). Irrespective of the equally frequent occurrence of the relevant stomach types in normals and in duodenal ulcer patients, increased gastric emptying was observed in the latter group T1/2 90.8 +/- 3.30 versus 76.7 +/- 3.82 min, means +/- S.E.M., p less than 0.01). The necessity of establishing the normal range of gastric emptying parameters separately for men and women is concluded.