Active clinical trials for "Gastroparesis"

Patients who empty their stomach slowly may have what we call "Slow gastric emptying" or "gastroparesis". These patients can have some changes in the thickness of their stomach wall. In addition, they may have loss of some important nerve cells in their stomach muscles. The loss of these cells can cause slow emptying of the stomach. Obtaining a sample from the stomach wall to examine the loss of these cells can help in diagnosing gastroparesis. Up to now, the only way to obtain a tissue sample from the stomach muscle was to undergo an operation in the surgery suite and be hospitalized for several days after the procedure. Usually, we obtain this sample while these patients are having a surgery for another purpose such as placement of a gastric stimulator (a machine which is inserted in the stomach wall to control the stomach rhythm and thus help the stomach to empty faster). Endoscopic ultrasound is an endoscope (a tube with a source of light and ultrasound installed in the tip of the tube) that can measure how thick the stomach wall is and can provide sample "biopsies" of the stomach wall which can be studied for the loss of these specialized muscles and cells. We are proposing that samples obtained by the endoscopic ultrasound can be sufficient to diagnose "gastroparesis" and can replace the need for obtaining samples by surgery. Endoscopic ultrasound is an outpatient procedure which is not as invasive as surgery.

Erythromycin has a prokinetic effect through Motilin receptor. It evokes migrating motor complex with longer and stronger contraction. In patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, It has been shown that erythromycin could clear the stomach of blood, so visual examination could be improved. Frequent food stasis is encounted when we examine patients with subtotal gastrectomy. It is postulated that erythromycin reduce food stasis and help to improve endoscopy in these cases.

The proposed study will assess the efficacy and safety of the innovative endoscopic technique for the acquisition of full thickness gastric muscle wall biopsies. Having access to full thickness biopsies will allow an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal diseases such as functional gastrointestinal disorders, gastroparesis, pseudoobstruction and other motility disorders. This information is essential to development of more targeted and effective therapy than currently available. Despite the high prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders and its significant impact on social and health care costs, the underlying cause is not well understood and there is no effective specific treatment to successfully alleviate patient symptoms.

Gastroparesis is a chronic, morbid and costly neuromuscular disorder of the stomach characterized by delayed gastric emptying in the absence of gross structural abnormalities. The periprandial symptoms associated with this disease can preclude adequate oral intake and often lead to weight loss and nutritional deficiencies 1. These manifestations are largely due to impaired gastric accommodation of meals and delayed transfer of food boluses from the stomach into the duodenum2. Consequently, the investigators hypothesize that dietary supplementation with a low volume, hypercaloric nutritional drink can help prevent malnutrition, decrease symptom burden and improve health-related quality of life in this population. Due to the paucity of such a supplement, the investigators developed a novel nutritional drink designed to maximize tolerability in patients with gastroparesis . This nutritional drink was tested on healthy volunteers (phase I) and passed the palatability test. The investigators now aim to test the tolerability of this drink on gastroparesis patients.

To determine the efficacy of open -label transdermal patch on chronic nausea and emesis in patients with gastroparesis

Patients undergoing whipples pancreaticoduodenectomy tend to develop delayed gastric emptying. The study compares two types of anastamosis of stomach to jejunum (supracolic and infracolic) and compares whether it influences the gastric emptying. The clinical evidence of delayed gastric emptying is correlated with objective evidence of liquid and solid emptying by radionuclide study. The study also tries to evaluate whether pancreatic leak correlates with delayed gastric emptying

Diabetic 'Gastroparesis' or 'Gastroenteropathy' is a condition in which patients suffer episodes of nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating and pain after eating. These symptoms occur in the absence of any structural abnormality of the stomach, rather abnormal gastric function underlies the condition. Up to one in five patients with type I diabetes experience symptoms consistent with this diagnosis. The effects on diabetic control, physical health and emotional quality of life are severe. Patients do not respond reliably to general supportive management or conventional medications. Surgical options have disappointing results. The need for more effective treatment is acknowledged universally. Feeding into the small bowel beyond the stomach (jejunal feeding) is established management in diabetic patients with gastroenteropathy that are malnourished due to poor oral intake. The benefits have been assumed secondary to improved nutrition and diabetic control; however this assertion has never been studied. Recently we observed that patients with severe gastroenteropathy recovered promptly and could eat normally during and for a few hours after jejunal feeding. These observations suggest that jejunal feeding has 'quasi-pharmacological' effects in patients with gastroenteropathy. One attractive explanation for these observations is that gastroenteropathy represents a failure of oral intake to 'switch' the stomach from the fasted to the fed state. According to this hypothesis, jejunal feeding 'restores' the normal fed state by bypassing the dysfunctional stomach. This project will assess the effects of feeding on gastrointestinal (GI) sensory and motor function in diabetic gastroenteropathy. Healthy volunteers and diabetic controls without symptoms will also be investigated. Studies will assess: Effects on GI symptoms and function to gastric distension in fasted and fed states Effects on GI symptoms and function to oral vs. nasogastric delivery of a test meal A trial of gastric feeding with and without prior jejunal feeding on GI symptoms and function Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques will be applied to assess complex gastric response to feeding. In addition the effects of feeding on symptoms and gastric function will be related to alterations in GI hormones and autonomic nervous activity (eg cardiovagal tone) to assess how the integrated response of the GI tract to feeding fails in patients with diabetic gastroenteropathy. The primary aim of this project is to assess the effectiveness of jejunal feeding in the management of diabetic gastroenteropathy. However, by defining the processes that 'switch' gastric function between the fasted and the fed states and control gastric emptying, we hope also to identify candidate targets for more effective pharmacologic treatment of this severe disease. Trial with medical device

This study will compare gastrointestinal transit time measured by the SmartPill and the Atmo gas capsule in patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders. Both of these devices allow gastrointestinal transit time to be measured, however the SmartPill senses pH changes whereas the Atmo Capsule measures gas profiles. A total of 60 participants (30 diagnosed with gastroparesis, 30 with slow transit constipation) will attend Macarthur Clinical School at Western Sydney University after an overnight fast. Participants will consume a standardised meal before ingesting the SmartPill and Atmo Capsule. Each participant will carry a data receiver until passage of the capsules. Anatomical landmarks will be defined by pH changes (SmartPill) or oxygen profiles (Atmo Capsule). Statistical analysis will be performed via linear regression and degrees of agreement for measurements between the two devices. Primary end-points will be the agreement between gastric emptying, small intestinal and colonic transit times generated by the devices.

One big problem in mechanically ventilated ICU patients is delayed gastric emptying. Delayed gastric emptying in these patients, causes intolerance and high gastric residual volume (GRV) that can lead to abdominal distention, vomiting, increased aspiration risk and consequently increased the length of hospital stay. In this study, investigators will evaluate Neostigmine's effect in reducing GRV in mechanically ventilated patients and compare its effect with metoclopramide and Ondansetron .

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Magnetic Marker Monitoring is an appropriate opportunity to diagnose and to quantify a suspicious gastroparesis in subjects with diabetic polyneuropathy.