Gastric emptying in myotonic dystrophic patients.

Background. Myotonic dystrophy is often associated with digestive symptoms that can precede the clinical appearance of skeletal muscle involvement. Although motility disorders may be observed in these patients at any level of the gastrointestinal tract, upper gastrointestinal symptoms have up to now usually been considered to be due to oesophageal rather than gastric dysmotility Aims. To evaluate: a) gastric emptying in myotonic dystrophic patients without dyspeptic symptoms, and b) relationship between gastric emptying and severity and duration of the disease. Patients and Methods. Gastric emptying was evaluated in 11 non-dyspeptic dystrophic patients and in 22 healthy volunteers by means of computerised ultrasound scan, assessing the variation in the antral area over time after ingestion of a meal. Results. The final emptying time was higher in patients than in healthy volunteers (373'+/-35'vs 270'+/-47'; p