Gastroparesis is difficult to diagnose because it has many causes, and most of the symptoms are subjective. Since nausea, vomiting, fullness, and pain are not very measurable, they make gastroparesis hard to classify by severity.
Doctors need to rule out other causes of the symptoms like a bowel obstruction, sphincter of oddi dysfunction, Celiac Sprue, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Once doctors have eliminated those possibilities, they should perform a gastric emptying test, the most popular of which is a Scintigraphy.
Determining if You Have Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis is difficult to diagnose because it has many causes, and most of the symptoms are subjective. Since nausea, vomiting, fullness, and pain are not very measurable, they make gastroparesis hard to classify by severity.
Doctors need to rule out other causes of the symptoms like a bowel obstruction, sphincter of oddi dysfunction, Celiac Sprue, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Once doctors have eliminated those possibilities, they should perform a gastric emptying test, the most popular of which is a Scintigraphy.
Nuclear Scintigraphy usually involves eating an egg meal made with a nuclear isotope. This isotope is followed by the technicians to see how much of the egg meal empties over a four hour period. A percentage is then assigned to the amount that is pushed through the stomach over the four hours. Anything that is less than 90% emptying over four hours is considered positive for gastroparesis.
Treatment of Gastroparesis
Currently, there is no cure for gastroparesis, but there are several treatments available that can control the symptoms of chronic vomiting and nausea. Various treatments for gastroparesis include:
Gastroparesis is difficult to diagnose because it has many causes, and most of the symptoms are subjective. Since nausea, vomiting, fullness, and pain are not very measurable, they make gastroparesis hard to classify by severity.
Doctors need to rule out other causes of the symptoms like a bowel obstruction, sphincter of oddi dysfunction, Celiac Sprue, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Once doctors have eliminated those possibilities, they should perform a gastric emptying test, the most popular of which is a Scintigraphy.
Nuclear Scintigraphy usually involves eating an egg meal made with a nuclear isotope. This isotope is followed by the technicians to see how much of the egg meal empties over a four hour period. A percentage is then assigned to the amount that is pushed through the stomach over the four hours. Anything that is less than 90% emptying over four hours is considered positive for gastroparesis.
Currently, there is no cure for gastroparesis, but there are several treatments available that can control the symptoms of chronic vomiting and nausea. Various treatments for gastroparesis include:
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