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Carla Cole
Washington, DC
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The gastric emptying scan is the best test used by doctors to diagnose
Gastroparesis. The patient will be instructed to not eat or drink
anything after midnight the day before. Before the test, the patient
will be given a meal with a trace of radioactive material in it. Once
the meal has been ingested, the technicians will place the patient under
a large camera to take pictures as the food moves through the stomach.
Depending on the medical center where it is performed, this can take
anywhere from 90 minutes to 6 hours. If there is an abnormally large
amount of food remaining in the stomach at the end of the test, this
would indicate delayed emptying and therefore Gastroparesis becomes the
main suspect. It can be determined if no clear cause for the delayed
emptying can be found. Obstructions, tumors, blockages, and some
medications can cause delayed emptying and not be due to Gastroparesis.
This test also shows the severity of Gastroparesis by indicating the
speed in which the stomach empties. It is a good test for comparison
studies later on to determine if there has been any change in the
condition.
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/gastric_emptying_scan.jsp
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