Clinical Gastroenterology Vol.18 No.4(5)

Theme Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-ulcer Dyspepsia
Title Gastric Emptying Study for Functional Dyspepsia Patients
Publish Date 2003/04
Author Koji Nakada Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine
Author Naruo Kawasaki Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine
Author Tomoko Takahashi Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine
Author Shinichiro Yanai Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine
Author Tetsuya Kajimoto Department of Gastroenterology, Miyoshi General Hospital
Author Nobuyoshi Hanyu Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine
[ Summary ] Delayed or rapid gastric emptying is common in patients with various abdominal symptoms or with gastrointestinal function disorders. Delayed gastric emptying is considered as a major form of path ogenesis in patients with functional dyspepsia. For these patients, gastric emptying studies seem useful in understanding the causes of symptoms or to evaluate the efficacy of drugs.
Various gastric emptying studies have been applied in clinical settings, however, special attention is required when one is choosing the proper method. Gastric emptying study made using a 13C-breath test, is thought of as producing non-invasive, simple and reliable method which have become widespread. In Japan, a standardized method for the 13C-breath test has been proposed, as a result of a cooperative study by nine institutions. By introducing standardized method, the benefits may be such things as, (1) avoiding being puzzled by details of the method, (2) enabling us to assess abnormal gastric emptying immediately, by comparing with the normal range of open data, (3) enable us to compare our data with other institutions' and to discuss this data with each other. Progress in better understanding the pathogenesis of functional dyspepsia patients may be achieved by the wide spread implementation of this easy and useful standardized method.
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