Pharmacological modulation of human gastric volumes demonstrated noninvasively using SPECT imaging

Three-dimensional single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging allows noninvasive measurement of human postprandial gastric accommodation. The aim of this study was to determine whether ^99mTCO₄-SPECT demonstrates effects on pre- and postprandial gastric volumes of intravenous (i.v.) erythromycin lactobionate and sublingual isosorbide dinitrate, as predicted from previous literature. Twenty volunteers received no medication (controls), while 12 were randomized to either i.v. erythromycin 2 mg kg^-1 over 20 min, or 10 mg sublingual isosorbide. After a 10-min preprandial SPECT measurement, a standard 300-mL, 300-kcal liquid meal was ingested, followed by a 20-min postprandial measurement. Gastric images were reconstructed from transaxial images and total volume was measured using the Analyse™ software system. Fasting gastric volume was greater with isosorbide [223 ± 14 (SE) mL vs. 174 ± 9 mL, control; P < 0.05], and postprandial volume was lower with erythromycin [393 ± 27 mL vs. 582 ± 17 mL, control; P < 0.05]. The ratio of postprandial over fasting volume and mean difference between pre- and postprandial volumes were significantly lower in both drug groups compared to controls. We conclude that ^99mTCO₄-SPECT imaging is able to semiquantitatively demonstrate pharmacological modulation of fasting gastric volume and postprandial accommodation in humans.