An Assessment of the Value of Measuring Uncollected Gastric Secretion During Routine Secretion Studies in Man

Abstract

A simple “wash-out” collection technique employing phenol red as a marker has been used during routine gastric secretion studies and its value has been assessed. Studies repeated on a single individual showed good reproducibility. When measured this way loss was not affected greatly by the volume secreted.

With this technique the repeatability of pentagastrin tests has been assessed at intervals of 6 weeks. This demonstrated that both acid and pepsin outputs could vary considerably, with a mean variation in acid of over 26 per cent.

The effects of histamine, pentagastrin, and insulin upon loss have been studied.

Loss has been found to vary considerably from one study to another and from one patient to another and may on occasions be considerable, particularly after previous surgery.

These findings suggest that a method of measuring loss should be adopted by any centre which wishes to use secretion studies to analyse the effects of treatment.