ABSTRACT
The gastric emptying rate of solids was measures in 33 volunteers (19 female 14 male, mean age 38.2 (24-74) years) by scintigraphy and 14-C-octanoic acid breattest. Eleven participants were normal controls, 11 had functional dyspepsia, 5 patients were diabetic and 6 patients had pyloric stenosis due to peptic ulcer. Methods: The test meal consisted of an omelet labeled with 99mTc-sulfur colloid and 14C-octanoic acid for scitigraphy and breath tes, respectively. Radioscintigraphic scans were obtained every 15 min for a period of 150 min and breath samples were taken every 15 min for a period of 4 hours. Reults: the half gastric emptying time (t1/2) and lag phase (tlag) in diabetica and dyspeptic volunteers measured by scintigraphy and breath tes showed higher values than in controls. Two out 6 patients with pyloric stenosis showed gastric emptying rate delayed when compared with controls. There was a positive and significant (p<0.0001) correlation between the t1/2 determined by scintigraphy and breath test. Conclusions: 14C-octanoic acid breath test is a reliable and sensitive method that can be used as an alternative procedure to measure gastric emptying rat of solids