Gastric blood flow and distribution: the effect of pentagastrin in anesthetized cat and man as studied by an inert gas elimination method.

Using a krypton-85 elimination method previously described, the effect of pentagastrin on gastric blood flow has been studied in 28 anesthetized patients, 12 control patients, and 16 patients with duodenal ulcer disease. Both in control and duodenal ulcer patients a significant increase in total blood flow was found, reflecting an increase of flow in the mucosa-submucosa layer of the corpus. In normal subjects a 5-fold increase in flow was found in this tissue layer, whereas the corresponding increase in duodenal ulcer patients was 12-fold. Concomitantly, a significant decrease of flow distribution to the muscle layer was seen. In the antrum pentagastrin did not cause any significant changes in either mucosa-submucosa or muscle layer blood flow. No qualitative differences in the response to pentagastrin, with regard to the gastric blood flow, was found between normal subjects and duodenal ulcer patients.