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The aim of our study was to measure the gastric emptying rate for a solid meal in diabetic patients who had no gastrointestinal complaints with (group 1, n = 12) or without (group 2, n = 10) cardiac autonomic neuropathy and in normal controls comparable in age and sex (group 3, n = 10). Gastric emptying rate was assessed with a sequential scintiscanning method. The percentages of the initial isotope activity remaining in the stomach at different times (20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 min) after the ingestion of a Tc-99m-labeled test meal and the emptying half-time were calculated. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy was determined by the beat-to-beat variations in heart rate during deep breathing. A significant reduction of the gastric emptying rate was observed in group 1. Indeed, at 80, 100, and 120 min the percentage of residual isotope activity was 73 +/- 4, 60 +/- 6, and 50 +/- 6% (mean +/- SE), respectively, in group 1 versus 61 +/- 3 (P less than .05), 45 +/- 4 (P less than .05), and 32 +/- 4% (P less than .02) in group 2. In group 3, residual isotope activity was 57 +/- 4 (P less than .05 vs. group 1), 41 +/- 4 (P less than .05), and 29 +/- 4% (P less than .02), respectively. Emptying half-time was also longer in group 1 (121 +/- 9 min) than in group 2 (95 +/- 6 min, P less than .05) or group 3 (90 +/- 4 min, P less than .02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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