EnsurePlus as an Alternative to the Standardized Egg Gastric-Emptying Meal

Objectives The purpose of this study was to establish normal gastric-emptying values for EnsurePlus in healthy subjects and to determine whether it is an acceptable alternative to the recommended standardized ^99mTc-sulfur colloid egg meal. Methods Twenty-one healthy subjects underwent gastric-emptying scintigraphy with ¹¹¹In-DTPA EnsurePlus. Normal gastric emptying values were established for 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours after meal ingestion. The gastric-emptying results were compared with another group of normal subjects (n = 18) who ingested the standardized egg meal. Results The mean (95% upper reference limit) percentages for gastric retention for EnsurePlus were as follows: 69.9% (87.1%) at 1 hour, 35.1% (64.3%) at 2 hours, 13.5% (23.2%) at 3, and 8.9% (13.5%) at 4 hours. There were time-related differences in the gastric emptying of the EnsurePlus compared with the egg meal. In the first and second hours, there were no difference between EnsurePlus and the egg meal in terms of percentage retention (P = 0.92 at 1 hour, P = 0.05 at 2 hours). However, at 3 and 4 hours after meal ingestion, the mean percentage gastric retention of the EnsurePlus was significantly higher than the egg meal (P < 0.001). Conclusion EnsurePlus is a good and acceptable alternative to the standardized egg meal.