digestive disorders
Nuclear Scans of the Digestive Tract
Gastric Emptying Scan
A gastric emptying scan is done to determine how quickly the stomach empties. People whose stomach empties slowly have a disorder called gastroparesis, which may cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or a feeling of fullness after eating a small meal. For this scan, people drink a beverage or eat a meal that contains a small amount of radioactive material. Doctors then use a gamma camera to observe how quickly the material passes out of the stomach. Because this test cannot show whether a blockage or gastroparesis is the cause of delayed stomach emptying, further tests are done if stomach emptying is delayed. This scan can also help doctors monitor how well people are responding to promotility medications. These medications, such asmetoclopramideanderythromycin, stimulate the movement of contents through the stomach and intestines. The results of this scan can be affected if people are taking opioids for pain or are taking other medications that alter how contents move through the stomach. In specialized centers, additional testing can be done to determine how long it takes food to move through the small intestine and the whole gut. The small intestine test takes place over a 2-day period and the whole gut test takes place over a 4-day period. These tests are useful in people who doctors suspect have a movement disorder of the digestive tract such as severe Constipation in Adults . 