Gastric emptying rate and small bowel transit time in patients with irritable bowel syndrome determined with99mTc-labeled pellets and scintigraphy

A new method employing^99mTc-labeled pellets for determination of the gastric emptying rate and small bowel transit time is described. The participants were six normal subjects and 16 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (eight with diarrhea and eight with obstipation as the primary complaint). The gastric emptying rate was the same in the three groups. The patients in the obstipation group had a significantly longer small bowel transit time than the normals (P<0.02) and the patients in the diarrhea group (P<0.01). There was no demonstrable difference between the small bowel transit time in the normals and in the patients in the diarrhea group.