title: The [13C]acetate breath test accurately reflects gastric emptying of liquids in both liquid and semisolid test meals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current standard for gastric emptying studies are radioactive isotope methods. [13C]breath tests have been developed as a nonradioactive alternative. The aim of this study was to validate a [13C]acetate breath test as a measure of gastric emptying of the liquid phase both in liquid and semisolid test meals by simultaneous radioscintigraphy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five patients with dyspeptic symptoms and 20 healthy volunteers were tested using a semisolid oatmeal or a liquid test meal. Both test meals were labeled by 150 mg sodium [13C]acetate and (in patients) by 45 MBq 99mTc-albumin colloid. Half-time of gastric emptying was calculated after curve fitting of the 13C exhalation to a modified power exponential function. 99mTc-albumin emptying was measured by conventional radioscintigraphy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The half-emptying times for the [13C]acetate breath test closely correlated to those measured by radioscintigraphy both for semisolids (r = 0.87) and liquids (r = 0.95). The time of maximum 13CO2 exhalation was itself a reliable parameter compared with the half-emptying times obtained by scintigraphy (r = 0.85 for semisolids; r = 0.94 for liquids).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The [13C]acetate breath test is a reliable and noninvasive tool for the analysis of gastric emptying rates of liquid phases without radiation exposure.
authors.affiliation: Center of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Braden
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Maul
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lembcke
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hör
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Caspary
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000032:analysis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin