Gastric emptying in preterm infants

An ultrasonic technique was used to compare gastric emptying afyer a feed of expressed breast milk and formula milk in a blind, cross over study of preterm infants. Fourteen infants (median gestarional age 33 weeks) were studied on 46 occasions. Each infant received a nasogastric feed of either expressed breast milk or formula milk, and the alternative at the next feed. Real rime ultrasound images of the gastric antrum were obtained and measurements of antral cross sectional area (ACSA) were made before the feed and then sequenrially after its complerion until the ACSA returned to its prefeed value