Gastric emptying in infants and children: limited utility of 1-hour measurement

Article Abstract:

Gastroesophageal reflux is a disorder often seen in children and infants in which food being digested is regurgitated and possibly aspirated. It is associated with a number of serious disorders that can be life-threatening. Diagnosis of this disorder often relies upon measuring gastric (stomach) emptying by scintigraphy (imaging of radioactively labeled materials given as food). Most of these tests are only performed for one hour. Research indicates that results vary widely for gastric emptying after one hour and that two or more hours is a realistic time between feedings. This study examined the usefulness of the emptying test in predicting emptying after two hours. The study involved examining the records of 181 patients given a gastric emptying test at one and two hours. The results found that the amount of gastric emptying measured after one hour could not be used to predict the amount of emptying after two hours. Gastric emptying is related to gastroesophageal reflux, in that low rates of emptying are indicative of the disorder. The problem in measuring emptying is that it can vary greatly in the initial stages. The results of this study indicate one hour is too short a time to get stable results and that for diagnostic use, gastric emptying should be measured for at least two hours. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Methods, Gastroesophageal reflux in children, Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux, Pediatric gastroenterology, Radioisotopes in medical diagnosis, Radioisotopic diagnosis, Gastrointestinal system Motility

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Campylobacter pylori and large gastric folds

Article Abstract:

It has been shown that Campylobacter pylori (C pylori: a small bacteria) is the organism associated with gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and suspected as a cause of peptic ulcer disease (an open sore or lesion in the stomach), but more research is needed to understand the disease process that results when the stomach is infected by this organism. Research has shown that C pylori can be found in the gastric folds (ridges lining the stomach) causing infection and stomach abnormalities. Evidence suggests that enlarged gastric folds are a sign of the presence of this organism in the intestinal tract. According to the author, advanced imaging techniques should be directed at learning more about the impact of C pylori on the inflammatory process in the mucosa (a moist tissue membrane) lining the gastric wall. It will also be important to consider the length of illness produced by C pylori infections in order to determine the severity of the initial inflammatory episode.

Research, Measurement, Stomach diseases, editorial

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Enlarged gastric folds in association with campylobacter pylori gastritis

Article Abstract:

Gastritis (stomach inflammation) due to campylobacter pylori (C pylori, a bacteria) is unusual among children. Seven children suffering from thickened gastric folds (folds of the mucus membrane in an empty stomach) due to C pylori infection were studied. This is the first report of an association between C pylori infection and thickened gastric folds. Endoscopy (a device for observing the inside of a hollow organ or cavity) and biopsy (a tissue sample obtained from a living human) of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract were performed to make a diagnosis. Almost half of the children evaluated in the study displayed abnormally large folds in the stomach. Both endoscopy and an upper GI series of x-ray images are the recommended means of diagnosing the presence of C pylori in cases of gastric wall thickening.

Evaluation, Complications and side effects, Physiological aspects, Gastrointestinal diseases, Diagnosis, Radioscopic, Radioscopic diagnosis, Endoscopy

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