Abstract #0839

Rayment P, Butler M, Marciani L, Gowland P, Spiller R, Wright P, Hoad C, Cox E

Gastric emptying and intestinal transit times were measured in 7 healthy volunteers who consumed 2 different types of alginate beads (weakly and strongly gelled). The beads were visualised in the small intestine using RARE images and different areas of the small intestine were compared by dividing the region into 4 quadrants. Gastric emptying times for the strongly gelling beads were longer compared to the weakly gelling beads. The intestinal transit time was 120 minutes for both bead types. Quadrant analysis of the beads found that they were more visible in the lower compared to the upper quadrants of the bowel.