Caroline L. Hoad1, Helen Parker2, Nicola Hudders2, Carolyn Costigan1, Eleanor F. Cox1, Luca Marciani2, Mark R. Fox2, Penelope A. Gowland1
1Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 2Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
This study develops a clinically applicable protocol to assess gastric function using MRI. A 400ml doped nutrient meal was ingested by ten healthy volunteers and their stomachs imaged using an optimised TrueFISP sequence. Total gastric (TGV) and liquid only volumes (LGV) were measured by 3 observers using an intensity based image segmentation algorithm. These volume data were then fitted to a complex model of gastric emptying to parameterize the secretion, relaxation and emptying of the stomach. Coefficients of variance (CV) were determined for the volumes and found to below 5% for all volumes greater than 100 ml.