title: Form of gastric air bubble is associated with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gastric bubble is present in approximately 70% of normal chest and abdominal radiograph. Most swallowed air is regurgitated and belching is a physiological phenomenon to expel ingested gas from the stomach and is a common symptom in normal adults. In the present study it was investigated whether gastric bubble detected on abdominal radiograph is associated with GERD symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  All of the patients who first attend our hospital were asked to respond the F-scale questionnaire regardless of their chief complaints to diagnose GERD. Plain abdominal films in the erect position were used to measure the size of gastric bubble and to classify the form of gastric bubble into four groups: dome-type; irregular-type; stomach-type; and undetected-type. The quantity of gastric bubble (gastric bubble score) was determined as the pixel value on image collected from hospital's digital database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gastric bubble score of irregular-type was significant lower than that of dome-type and stomach-type. GERD was most frequently detected in stomach-type group, followed by undetected-type, irregular-type, and dome-type. The mean score of F-scale was significantly higher in stomach-type than in dome-type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that gastric bubble detected on plain abdominal films is an informative marker for evaluating the functional disorder of upper digestive tracts. Physicians have to recognize the importance of plain films of the abdomen in the diagnostic process of GERD.
authors: Department of General Medicine and Emergency Care, Toho University School of Medicine, Omori Hospital, 6-11-1, Omori-Nishi, Ota-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Toshiyasu
authors: T
authors: Watanabe
authors: Yoshihisa
authors: Y
authors: Urita
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Maeda
authors: Yosuke
authors: Y
authors: Sasaki
authors: Kazuo
authors: K
authors: Hike
authors: Masaki
authors: M
authors: Sanaka
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Nakajima
authors: Motonobu
authors: M
authors: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal