Gastric Emptying Scan: How to Prepare, What to Expect, and What Your Results Really Mean

A gastric emptying scan, also known as a gastric emptying study or nuclear medicine gastric emptying test, is a diagnostic procedure used to assess how quickly food leaves your stomach. This scan is essential for detecting conditions like delayed gastric emptying, also called gastroparesis, or rapid gastric transit, which can disrupt digestion and nutrient absorption.

Unlike many imaging tests, a gastric emptying scan uses a small amount of radioactive material that binds to food. A specialized camera then tracks how long the food remains in your stomach.

Physicians may recommend a gastric emptying scan if you have persistent symptoms that suggest your stomach is not emptying properly. Common symptoms include:

• Bloating after eating
• Early satiety (feeling full too quickly)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal discomfort or pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Chronic indigestion or heartburn

This scan helps determine whether these symptoms are related to a motility disorder or another underlying digestive condition.

Preparation is crucial to ensure the scan delivers accurate results. You’ll typically receive detailed instructions from your healthcare provider, but general preparation guidelines include:

• Fasting: Most patients are required to fast for at least 6 hours before the test. This ensures the stomach is empty before consuming the test meal.
• Medication Adjustments: You may be instructed to stop certain medications like proton pump inhibitors, anticholinergics, opioids, or prokinetic drugs that can affect gastric motility.
• Avoid Smoking: Smoking can alter gastric motility and should be avoided 24 hours before the test.
• Medical History Review: Inform your provider about any recent gastrointestinal infections, surgeries, or underlying conditions like diabetes.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women should always inform their provider due to the use of radioactive tracers.

Here is a step-by-step overview of what typically occurs:

• Test Meal Consumption: You’ll be asked to eat a standard test meal. This often includes eggs (or oatmeal for those with egg allergies), toast, and water, all tagged with a small amount of radioactive material.
• Imaging Timeline: After consuming the meal, you’ll lie under a gamma camera that takes images of your stomach at specific intervals—usually at 0, 1, 2, and 4 hours post-meal.
• Comfortable Setting: The procedure is non-invasive and painless. You may sit or lie comfortably between scans.

The entire process typically takes around 4 hours to complete.

The scan measures the percentage of the meal that remains in your stomach at different time points. Here’s what the results generally indicate:

• Normal Emptying: Approximately 90% of the meal should have exited the stomach by the 4-hour mark.
• Delayed Gastric Emptying: If more than 10% of the meal remains after 4 hours, this suggests gastroparesis.
• Rapid Gastric Emptying: If too much of the meal leaves the stomach too quickly, it may indicate dumping syndrome or other digestive disorders.

These results, when correlated with your symptoms and history, help your physician determine next steps.

This scan can help confirm or rule out various digestive conditions, such as:

• Gastroparesis: Often linked to diabetes, this condition involves sluggish stomach muscles and causes prolonged retention of food.
• Dumping Syndrome: Common in people post-gastric surgery, where food exits the stomach too quickly.
• Functional Dyspepsia: A condition with persistent indigestion-like symptoms but no structural abnormalities.
• Pyloric Stenosis: A narrowing of the stomach’s outlet can delay food passage.
• Medication-Induced Motility Issues: Some drugs can impair or accelerate stomach function.

• Accuracy: When done under standardized conditions, the test is highly accurate for assessing gastric motility.
• Safety: The radioactive tracer used is extremely low-dose and safe for most individuals. The radiation exposure is minimal and generally considered safe even for repeated studies.

You can typically resume your regular activities and eating habits right after the scan. Your physician will discuss the results, which may lead to:

• Further testing (such as upper endoscopy or breath tests)
• Lifestyle and dietary changes
• Medication adjustments or prescriptions
• Referral to a motility specialist if gastroparesis or other disorders are confirmed

While waiting for your results, keep a symptom journal. Note your meals, timing of discomfort, and any patterns. This log can be a valuable resource when discussing management options with your healthcare provider.

Digestive discomfort can be vague and frustrating, but a gastric emptying scan offers clear, science-backed insights into how your stomach is functioning. Understanding this test helps empower you to advocate for timely diagnosis and treatment.

If your results show abnormal emptying, it’s important not to panic. Many cases are manageable through dietary changes, medications, or in some instances, minor surgical interventions. Early diagnosis can significantly improve outcomes and quality of life.

Also Read:

• What Your Gastric Emptying Study is Trying to Tell You About Gastroparesis
• Gastric Varices: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Surgery
• Upper Gastric Pain: 11 Causes of Pain on Top of the Stomach
  
• Gastric Volvulus: Treatment & Diet For Volvulus of Stomach