Gastric Emptying Tests
Reviewed
Also called: gastric emptying study, gastric emptying scan, gastric emptying scintigraphy, smart pill, wireless motility study, gastric emptying breath test
Gastric emptying tests measure the time it takes for food to empty out of your stomach.
Specimen: None
Why this test may be ordered
- To diagnose gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying)
- To check for other problems with food passing through your stomach
- If you have symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, feeling full after a few bites, loss of appetite, or weight loss
Preparation and collection
You may need to fast (not eat or drink) for several hours before your test. Your provider will also let you know if you need to stop taking certain medicines before your test.
Gastric emptying tests are most often done by a radiologist or radiology technician. There are different types of tests. During this test: You will start by eating a light meal, often eggs and toast. The food will contain a small, harmless amount of radioactive material called a tracer. Additional images will be taken over the next few hours to see how long it takes for food to move out of your stomach and into your small intestine.
You should not have a gastric emptying study or an upper GI series if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. Radiation from these imaging tests can be harmful to a developing baby. For others, there is little risk to having an imaging test. In rare cases, a smart pill may get stuck in your digestive system. If the pill takes longer than several days to leave your body in a bowel movement, contact your provider.
Understanding results
After a meal, it usually takes around four hours for 90 percent of the food to move out of your stomach and into your small intestine.
- Longer than normal to empty: If your results show it took a longer-than-normal time for your stomach to empty, it could mean you have gastroparesis. Limitation: It's often difficult to find the cause of gastroparesis, but diabetes is the most common underlying cause since it can damage some of the nerves in your stomach. Next step: Treatment for gastroparesis may involve taking certain medicines and/or treating the condition causing the problem, such as diabetes.
- Shorter than normal to empty: If your results show it took a shorter-than-normal time for your stomach to empty, it could mean you have dumping syndrome. Limitation: Your provider may also consider your symptoms and medical history to understand your results. Next step: If you have questions about your results, talk to your provider.
- For imaging tests (gastric emptying scan and upper GI series): there is a small amount of radiation exposure, which is very low and not considered harmful for most people, but these tests should not be performed if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
- For the upper GI series, there is a risk of allergy to barium and possible constipation if the barium does not pass completely.
- For the gastric emptying breath test and smart pill, there is very little risk.
- In rare cases, a smart pill may get stuck in your digestive system; contact your provider if it takes longer than several days to pass.
What to do next
If you have questions about your results, talk to your provider.
- Do you have symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, feeling full after a few bites, loss of appetite, or weight loss?
- Do you have diabetes or other conditions that may affect stomach emptying?
- Are you pregnant or think you may be pregnant?
Evidence source
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus). Practices and reference ranges may differ in your country.