Infrared spectrometry based 13C-octanoic acid breath test in measuring human solid gastric emptying.
OBJECTIVE
Because of the convenience of non-dispersive infrared spectrometry (NDIRS), we attempted to validate the usefulness of NDIRS compared with scintigraphy in human solid gastric emptying (GE) measurement, and tried to establish the normal range of solid GE based on NDIRS.


METHODS
Twelve healthy volunteers (three men, nine women) were recruited for simultaneous scintigraphy and 13C-octanoic acid breath test (13C-OABT) studies. Stomach half-emptying time (t1/2) and lag phase (tlag) were the two main GE parameters measured and correlated. The breath samples were analyzed using NDIRS every 10-15 min for a total of 6 h, while scintigraphy was taken minute by minute for the first 30 min, then hourly for 4 h. Another 32 healthy volunteers (19 men, 13 women) received only the 13C-OABT to measure their solid GE.


RESULTS
A significant correlation for t1/2 was found between the breath test and scintigraphy (r = 0.85, P = 0.001), while tlag was also positively correlated (r = 0.73, P = 0.007). The reference range of t1/2B based on all 44 subjects was 89.4-185.1 min (135.9 +/- 21.1 min (mean +/- SD)), while the range for tlagB was 37.1-117.8 min (81.9 +/- 17.4 min). No demographic characteristics were found to influence the GE parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
13C-octanoic acid breath test determined by NDIRS is a simple, non-invasive and reliable measurement, which may provide an 'office-based' tool to detect solid GE.
Chen
Chih-Ping
CP
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen
Chih-Yen
CY
Lu
Ching-Liang
CL
Chang
Full-Young
FY
Lee
Shou-Dong
SD
Chu
Lee-Shing
LS
Liu
Ren-Shyan
RS
Wu
Han-Chang
HC
D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D002210:Caprylates; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
D002210:Caprylates; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; C031492:octanoic acid