Gastric emptying in children.

Abstract

This article reviews the evaluation of gastric emptying in children with emphasis on scintigraphic techniques. The mechanism of emptying as well as how quantitation may vary with patient positioning, the composition of the standard meal and possibly the size of the meal are discussed. Preliminary data suggest that for children under the age of 2 yr, meal size is less critical. Although normal ranges need to be determined by individual laboratories, values reported in the literature may be used as a guide. Quantitation is useful for the follow-up of patients on therapy.