2 Hour Or 4 Hour

[cardiactec]

I know some of you were/are recently questioning the difference between 2 hour and 4 hour gastric emptying study for gastroparesis diagnoses..............I found this info online. hopefully it helps some of you....

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"The diagnosis of gastroparesis is confirmed through one or more of the following tests.

Some centers still use a barium beefsteak meal to look for problems of stomach emptying. Yet, this test is not at all reliable for detecting delayed gastric emptying. The barium contrast material is a liquid and is much heavier than normal food. Therefore, gravity allows the separation and movement of barium out of the stomach and does not give meaningful information regarding the stomach's emptying power.

A GET, or gastric emptying test, is commonly used to diagnose gastroparesis. Using a method called scintigraphy a gamma emitting radioisotope is integrated into a selected food item, often scrambled eggs. Multi-centre clinical trials have established international standards for this test. The meal is eaten and images, utilizing a gamma camera, are taken of the stomach over a period of up to 4 hours.

While the American Motility Society is working to standardize the GET tests, presently the duration at which Gastric Emptying Studies are carried out, as well as the test meals used, can vary significantly from institution to institution. Research has shown that the diagnosis of Gastroparesis can be missed in some individuals if the GET is carried out for only two hours - and some centers still use a two-hour study.

A multi-center study has established normal ranges for gastric emptying in healthy subjects at time intervals of 60, 120, and 240 minutes after completion of a consistent radio-tagged low-fat meal. Average gastric retention in healthy subjects; at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours was 90%, 60% and 10% respectively. These values are for adults only. Standards have not been established for children.

The 4-hour Gastric Emptying Time is now becoming the standard test, using a low-fat egg substitute meal to minimize the effect of fat on gastric emptying."