Digestive diseases and sciences
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Disordered gastric motility and emptying are well known complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), but the pattern of intragastric distribution of food has not been extensively studied in diabetics. We examined the partition of a liquid nutrient meal between the proximal and distal stomach and the relationships between intragastric distribution of food and gastric emptying (GE) and the symptoms in DM patients with and without autonomic neuropathy (AN). Fourteen healthy volunteers and 20 DM patients (13 with AN; 9 with dyspepsia symptoms) ingested a liquid nutrient meal (250 ml; 437 kcal) labeled with [99mTc]phytate. ⋯ There were no differences between subgroups of patients with normal, delayed, or rapid gastric emptying regarding mean meal retention in the proximal stomach. Patients with evidence of AN or with dyspepsia symptoms had significantly decreased retention of food in the proximal stomach throughout gastric emptying. We concluded that patients with diabetes mellitus have abnormally decreased retention of gastric contents in the proximal stomach after a liquid meal, which seems to be related to the occurrence of autonomic neuropathy and dyspepsia symptoms, but not to disordered gastric emptying.