Feasibility and Application of 3-Dimensional Ultrasound for Measurement of Gastric Volumes in Healthy Adults and Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: Abnormal gastric accommodation to a meal results in dyspepsia. Current methods to measure gastric volume (GV) are invasive or involve ionizing radiation. The aims of this study were to: 1. Compare fasting and postprandial (PP) GV measured by 99mTc-SPECT and 3-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) in adults; 2. Assess the performance characteristics of 3D-US measurement of GV during fasting and postprandially; 3. Develop normative data of GV in 24 healthy adolescents. Methods: The study included two healthy groups: A. 11 adults underwent SPECT and 3D-US simultaneously to measure GV, and each adult also underwent a second 3D-US within a week from the first study; and B. 24 adolescents (age 13–17 years) underwent one 3D-US measurement. Each 3D-US study included fasting, 300 mL Ensure® meal, and measurements of GV during 0–30 min PP. 3D-US was performed by one operator with a stationary external probe (1.4–5.8 MHz) and mechanized volume data acquisition. Results: Adult fasting and PP GVs by 3D-US and SPECT are shown in Figure 1. Median delta (PP-fasting) GV was 444 [422–535 as 25th–75th interquartile range (IQR)] mL for 3D-US and 543 (486–564) mL for SPECT (P= 0.15). There were larger interindividual coefficients of variation (COV) for GV by 3D-US (60.3% fasting, 21.3% PP) compared to SPECT (19% fasting, 9.2% PP). Intraindividual COV for two 3D-US measurements were 84% fasting and 44% average PP. Estimated GVs for the adolescent group (median, 25th–75th IQR) were: fasting 33 (18–53) mL, 30 min PP 330 (284–357) mL, and delta GV 281 (240–324) mL.FigureConclusion: 3D-US is a promising method to measure GV accommodation to a meal. Large COV reflect the learning stage in development of this promising technique.