Gastric emptying in patients with reflux esophagitis or benign strictures of the esophagus secondary to reflux compared to controls.

Quantitative measurements of gastric emptying of fluids were performed in 11 controls, 12 patients with reflux esophagitis, and in 7 cases with benign strictures of the esophagus secondary to reflux. The method for measuring gastric emptying was the double-sampling test with phenol red as an inert marker. No significant alterations in gastric emptying were noted in reflux patients or in stricture patients compared to controls, although a tendency to a slower emptying was noticed in the latter group. The importance of these findings is discussed.