Use of real-time ultrasound for detection of gastric motility.

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the clinical applications and reproducibility of real-time ultrasound in detecting gastric motility, result of study of gastric motility in normal volunteers is reported.

METHODS

From January to May 1994, 21 normal volunteers, with a mean age of 31.7 years, 10 females and 11 males, entered this study. They fasted overnight. After consuming a liquid test meal (500 cc, 80.627 Kcal, containing sieved bran particles), they received real-time ultrasound examinations immediately to detect gastric peristalsis and transpyloric fluid flow. To evaluate the reproducibility of real-time ultrasound methods in gastric motility, four of the volunteers repeated this examination at an interval of one week.

RESULTS

The results showed that the mean gastric peristaltic cycle in humans is 24.29 seconds (s); mean forward transpyloric flow duration is 4.00 s; mean retrograde transpyloric flow duration is 1.45 s and mean time needed for initiating gastric peristaltic contractions after the test meal is 138.06 s. Age, body weight and body surface have a positive correlation to the mean gastric peristaltic cycle. Females, with a less body weight and body surface than males, exhibit a faster gastric peristaltic cycle. Real-time ultrasound is a reproducible method for studying gastric motility.

CONCLUSIONS

Real-time ultrasound is an inexpensive, reproducible and practical method for studying gastric motility. In addition, age, body weight and body surface have a positive correlation to gastric peristaltic cycle, with females, whose body weight and body surface are less than males, showing a shorter gastric peristaltic cycle.