Gastric emptying after semi-solid food in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson disease.

Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain, and bloating are frequent complaints in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and may be associated with delayed gastric emptying (GE). Although several GE studies in patients with PD have been performed, scant data exist in patients with MSA.

Methods: We assessed GE half-times (T50) in 12 patients with MSA and compared them with those of 12 patients with PD and 12 age-matched healthy controls.