Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach empties abnormally slowly despite the absence of a physical obstruction, causing nausea, vomiting, bloating, and difficulty maintaining nutrition. It occurs most commonly in people with diabetes but also affects those following viral illness or surgical vagal injury, and many cases have no identifiable cause. It can be severely debilitating and difficult to treat.
What's actually going on in research
Current treatments — dietary modification, prokinetic agents such as metoclopramide, and gastric electrical stimulation devices — provide incomplete relief for many patients. Motilin receptor agonists and ghrelin receptor agonists, including relamorelin, have shown promise in trials for reducing vomiting frequency. Newer research is exploring the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist cessation in drug-induced gastroparesis, prucalopride as a prokinetic, and gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM) as a minimally invasive procedural option.
Ghrelin receptor agonists
Relamorelin and other ghrelin receptor agonists accelerate gastric emptying and significantly reduce vomiting in trials, representing a more targeted prokinetic approach than existing drugs.
G-POEM procedure
Gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy — an incisionless endoscopic procedure that cuts the pyloric muscle — is being evaluated in trials as a durable treatment for refractory gastroparesis.
Centrally acting therapies
Tricyclic antidepressants and neuromodulating agents targeting the gut-brain axis are being studied for symptom relief independent of gastric emptying rate, acknowledging the central sensitization component of gastroparesis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often requires confirmed delayed gastric emptying on scintigraphy, documented diabetes or other etiology, and failure of dietary measures.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prokinetic drug trials — Testing ghrelin agonists, motilin agonists, and serotonin receptor agents to accelerate gastric emptying.
- Endoscopic procedure trials — Evaluating G-POEM and pyloric botulinum toxin injection for refractory gastroparesis.
- Neuromodulation trials — Studying gastric electrical stimulation and transcutaneous nerve stimulation for symptom control.
- Gut-brain axis trials — Testing centrally acting agents for nausea and vomiting independent of gastric motility.
- Diabetic gastroparesis studies — Assessing glycemic control strategies and targeted prokinetics in diabetes-associated gastroparesis.
Recently added Gastroparesis trials
Acupuncture for Postoperative Gastric Emptying Delay
This multicenter clinical trial, conducted at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and collaborating institutions, prospectively assesses the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for postoperative delayed gastric emptying. Eligible participants will be prospectively enrolled and randomized into different groups per the study protocol. The primary endpoint is the reduction in the duration of delayed gastric emptying, while secondary endpoints include the complete resolution of cardinal gastroparetic symptoms, such as abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. All study procedures adhere to the ethical standards outlined in the approved protocol.
Delayed Gastric Emptying After Pancreatic Surgery
Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is a common complication of pancreatic surgery. Once it occurs, it often affects the patient's postoperative quality of life and may even delay subsequent necessary treatments, such as adjuvant chemotherapy. Therefore, this project aims to retrospectively collect basic data, preoperative and postoperative blood tests (blood cell counts, biochemistry, tumor markers, glucose-related, lipid-related), and preoperative and postoperative imaging examinations (CT, MRI, Ultrasound, PET scan, Endoscopy, etc.) of patients who underwent pancreatic surgery at our hospital. We aim to compare whether surgical methods, the placement of gastrointestinal feeding tubes, lesion margin clearance rates, and postoperative remnant pancreatic volume affect the occurrence of delayed gastric emptying and related quality of life. This analysis is intended to understand and analyze the risk factors for delayed gastric emptying in pancreatic surgery patients, the indications for gastrointestinal feeding tube placement, as well as the management and prognosis of delayed gastric emptying, with the expectation of providing more diverse and specific treatment recommendations for patients with delayed gastric emptying after pancreatic surgery in the future. Keywords: Pancreatic surgery, Delayed gastric emptying, Gastrointestinal feeding tube III. Background Delayed Gastric Emptying after Pancreatic Surgery Delayed gastric emptying is a common complication of pancreatic surgery. However, once it occurs, it often affects the patient's postoperative quality of life and may even delay subsequent necessary treatments, such as adjuvant chemotherapy. IV. Objectives To compare whether surgical methods, the placement of gastrointestinal feeding tubes, lesion margin clearance rates, and postoperative remnant pancreatic volume affect the occurrence of delayed gastric emptying and related quality of life in patients. V. Methodology and Procedures Data Collection The Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator will retrospectively collect basic data of patients who underwent pancreatic surgery at this hospital. This includes preoperative and postoperative blood tests (blood counts, biochemistry, tumor markers, glucose-related, lipid-related) and imaging examinations (CT, MRI, Ultrasound, PET scan, Endoscopy, etc.). This data will be used to compare the impact of surgical methods, gastrointestinal feeding tube placement, margin clearance, and remnant pancreatic volume on the occurrence of delayed gastric emptying and related quality of life. The goal is to understand and analyze risk factors, indications for feeding tube placement, management, and prognosis. From the hospital portal system, approximately 500 medical records of patients with pancreatic diseases who underwent pancreatic surgery or invasive treatment performed by the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator between January 2005 and July 2021 will be collected. This observational study will collect routine imaging and laboratory tests performed at the hospital to analyze treatment indications, surgical indicators, and prognosis. Inclusion Criteria: 1. Males or females aged 20 years or older. 2. Patients scheduled to undergo pancreatic surgery. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients under 20 years of age at this hospital. 2. Presence of other active malignancies prior to diagnosis. 3. Minors, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and patients with psychiatric disorders. Statistical Analysis Patient medical records will be utilized to analyze risk factors for delayed gastric emptying, indications for gastrointestinal feeding tube placement, management, and prognosis for patients undergoing pancreatic surgery, aiming to provide diverse and specific treatment recommendations in the future. Confidentiality and Privacy Protection To ensure patient privacy and personal information security, after querying the relevant data of enrolled subjects, the data sheet will use new codes to represent the subjects' identities. Experimenters and analysts will only have access to this de-linked data sheet for analysis. All electronic data will be password-protected and accessible only by specific personnel related to this project. All data not used or after analysis will be stored at the NTU Department of Surgery for 15 years and then destroyed by shredder or incineration to remove identifiable personal data, unless required for medical or research purposes. Researchers (including external personnel) will sign a written pledge stating that medical record data will not be reused, disclosed to third parties, or used for purposes outside this study, unless required by law or audited by the Research Ethics Committee. Budget and Equipment Item Purpose Amount (TWD) Database Analysis Software Data Analysis 50,000 Statistical Consulting Data Analysis 50,000 Statistical Consulting Chart Creation 50,000 English Editing, Publication, Printing, Stationery Thesis Publication 50,000 Part-time Student
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