LAS VEGAS, Oct. 25 -- An implanted device approved for treating the chronic nausea and vomiting associated with gastroparesis may also be useful relieving these idiopathic symptoms in patients with normal gastric emptying.
In a pilot study of 16 patients, 10 had a 50% or greater reduction in symptom severity after one year with the device, reported Richard W. McCallum, M.D., of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, and colleagues, at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting here.
Chronic nausea and vomiting are hallmarks of gastroparesis, and the device studied is approved by the FDA for treating these symptoms in patients with gastroparesis. However, the participants in the current study had normal gastric emptying at enrollment, Dr. McCallum said.
The cause of their symptoms, which had not responded to standard treatment, was not known. Thirteen were women, and five were diabetic. Median age was 39 years.
