Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In patients with gastroparesis, the food and the attached radioactive
material remain in the stomach longer than normal (usually hours) before
emptying into the small intestine. As a result, the scanner continues to show
radioactivity in the area of the stomach for hours after the test meal. If
abnormally slow emptying is demonstrated, medications such as metoclopramide
(Reglan) may be given to speed up the emptying and improve symptoms. If
abnormally rapid emptying of the stomach is found, medications may be given to
slow down emptying.
There are no side effects from a gastric emptying study.
The radioactive material is not absorbed into the body and is eliminated in the
stool. Nevertheless, gastric emptying studies-as well as any other studies that
utilize radioactive materials--should not be performed in pregnant women because
the fetus is exposed to some radioactivity.
An upper GI series x-ray demonstrates abnormal emptying of barium in patients
with severe emptying problems, however, it cannot diagnose abnormal emptying of
a mild or moderate degree. An antro-duodenal motility study or an
electrogastrogram can demonstrate abnormalities in the muscles and nerves of the
stomach, but they do not directly evaluate the effects of these abnormalities on
emptying of the stomach. Other experimental methods for evaluating emptying of
the stomach have been described, for example, ultrasonography, breath tests
using fatty acids, and
single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT)
but are available in very few centers.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Gas or "intestinal gas" means different things to different people. Everyone has gas and eliminates it by belching or farting (passing it through the rectum).
GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a condition in which the acidified liquid
contents of the stomach backs up into the esophagus. The symptoms of uncomplicated GERD are heartburn,
regurgitation, and nausea. Effective treatment is available for most patients with GERD.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent). Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Treatment of diabetes depends on the type.
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a common gastrointestinal disorder involving abnormal gut contractions (motility) characterized by abdominal pain,
bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits with alternating diarrhea
and constipation, symptoms that tend to be chronic and to wax and wane over the
years. Treatment options include medication and lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and stress management to control symptoms. Also called spastic colitis, mucus colitis, nervous colon syndrome.
Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function abnormally. It is a chronic disease in which the symptoms fluctuate infrequency and intensity. Symptoms of dyspepsia include upper abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, early satiety, and abdominal distention (swelling). These symptoms are most often provoked by eating.
Gastroparesis is a medical condition in which the muscle of the stomach is paralyzed by a disease of either the stomach muscle itself or the nerves controlling the muscle. As a consequence, food and secretions do not empty normally from the stomach. Gastroparesis symptoms are nausea and vomiting; abdominal bloating, and pain can result.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
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