Relationship among acid secretion, antral distension, and liquid gastric emptying in active and healed duodenal ulcer.

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between fasting antral distension and basal and maximal acid output and to examine the link between the gastric emptying rate of liquids and the amount of acid secretion. Twenty consecutive male patients with H. pylori-positive noncomplicated duodenal ulcer disease received a measurement of basal and maximal gastric acid secretion and underwent ultrasonographic (US) evaluation of fasting antral distension and gastric emptying of liquids on two separate days. Ten of these patients were studied again three months after ulcer healing. The width of the fasting antral area was not correlated with basal acid output, but a significant relationship was found between maximal acid output and fasting antral distension (r = 0.55; P = 0.012). No significant correlations were found between gastric emptying and gastric acid output. The gastric emptying rate, expressed as half-time gastric emptying and remaining liquid component at 60 min, was not influenced by basal or maximal acid output. After ulcer healing, no correlations were found between acid secretion, fasting antral distension, and gastric emptying rate. Our results suggest that in duodenal ulcer patients, fasting antral distension is not influenced by basal gastric secretion and that, on the contrary, a correlation exists between fasting antral distension and maximal acid output, but only in active duodenal ulcer. No relationship exists in both active and healed duodenal ulcer between gastric emptying and gastric acid secretion.