%0 Journal Article
%T Assessment of the Variation Associated with Repeated Measurement of Gastrointestinal Transit Times and Assessment of the Effect of Oral Ranitidine on Gastrointestinal Transit Times Using a Wireless Motility Capsule System in Dogs
%A Jonathan A. Lidbury
%A Jan S. Suchodolski
%A Renata Ivanek
%A J£¿rg M. Steiner
%J Veterinary Medicine International
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/938417
%X This study aimed to evaluate the variation associated with repeated measurement of gastrointestinal (GI) transit times and the effect of oral ranitidine on GI transit times in healthy dogs using a wireless motility capsule (WMC) system. Eight privately owned healthy adult dogs were enrolled, and one developed diarrhea and was removed from the study. For the first 3 repetitions, each dog was fed a standard meal followed by oral administration of a WMC. For the 4th repetition, each dog was given ranitidine hydrochloride (75£¿mg PO every 12 hours) prior to and during assessment of GI transit times. Mean between-subject coefficients of variation for gastric emptying time (GET), small and large bowel transit time (SLBTT), and total transit time (TTT) were 26.9%, 32.3%, and 19.6%, respectively. Mean within-subject coefficients of variation for GET, SLBTT, and TTT were 9.3%, 19.6%, and 15.9%, respectively. Median GET, SLBTT, and TTT without ranitidine were 719, 1,636, and 2,735 minutes, respectively. Median GET, SLBTT, and TTT with ranitidine were 757, 1,227, and 2,083 minutes, respectively. No significant differences in GI transit times were found between any of the 4 repetitions. Under these experimental conditions, no significant effects of oral ranitidine on GI transit times were observed. 1. Introduction Although several techniques for assessing canine gastric emptying time (GET) have been reported, each of these has limitations [1]. Nuclear scintigraphy is currently considered to be the gold standard method for assessing GET in both humans [2] and dogs [1]. The radiopharmaceutical agents used for nuclear scintigraphy mix readily with the test meal, allowing this technique to provide a representative assessment of solid-phase gastric emptying. The need for specialized equipment, safety issues, and legislative implications of using a radioisotope means that this technique is rarely applied in clinical practice. Radiographic assessment of the exit of a barium based contrast agent from the stomach has also been used to assess canine gastric emptying [3, 4]. However, barium is not physically or chemically similar to the diet of a dog and separates from foodstuffs even when mixed with a meal. Consequently, this technique may not accurately reflect solid-phase gastric emptying. Barium-impregnated spheres may also be used to assess GET and may serve as a more representative marker than liquid barium [5, 6]. However, there are important differences in the rate and pattern of canine solid-phase gastric emptying of a radiolabeled meal as measured with
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/vmi/2012/938417/