Gastric emptying before and after liver transplantation for familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, Portuguese type (Val30Met).

Liver transplantation is an accepted treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), Portuguese type (Val30Met), and the outcome so far seems promising. Gastric retention with nausea and vomiting are common complications of the disease, and may interfere with immuno-suppression therapy and prolong recovery after liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of gastric retention in FAP patients and to evaluate the impact liver transplantation has on gastric emptying. Twenty-two patients, who had undergone liver transplantation, and had been re-examined for gastric retention after the procedure, were included in the study. Gastric emptying was recorded by scintigraphy after the ingestion of a 99m-technetium (99mTc)-labelled meal (omelette). The half-time (T50) of the emptying phase was calculated. Gastrointestinal symptoms before and after transplantation were recorded, and the majority of patients were also subjected to an upper endoscopic examination, where the presence of solid residual in the stomach was regarded as consistent with gastric retention. A high frequency of gastric retention was noted among the patients both before and after transplantation, and no significant improvement for the group was noted, even though decreased gastric emptying was noted for patients with a duration of the disease for less that 4 years. Patients who improved their nutritional status after transplantation had a faster gastric emptying than those who deteriorated. From our findings it can be concluded that gastric retention is a common complication of FAP and that gastric emptying in patients with longstanding disease (> or = 4 years) is unchanged after liver transplantation.