Regional gastric flow changes after meal stimulation measured by the hydrogen clearance technique in conscious cats.

Regional gastric mucosal flow changes were studied, after meal stimulation, with hydrogen clearance techniques in conscious cats. Generally, a substantial initial increase of corpus mucosal flow was accompanied by a moderate decrease of antral mucosal flow. These changes were reversed at the end of the secretory phase. Autoregulation of gastric flow, with the potential of regional flow increase in areas of augmented metabolic activity, is suggested as a possible explanation of the pattern of antral/corpus mucosal flow shifts accompanying physiological gastric secretory stimulation.