The use of gastric ultrasonography in the evaluation of a new antiflatulent preparation in human volunteers.
A method is described for inducing experimental aerogastria (flatulence) in human volunteers by the ingestion of "whipped" egg-white. Abdominal ultrasonography was used to measure the distension of the stomach and its interference with the visualization of organs such as gall bladder, pancreas and left kidney lying behind the stomach. A double-blind crossover comparison of Flatoril, a mixture of dimethicone (200 mg) and clebopride (0.5 mg) against placebo clearly demonstrated the superior antifoaming activity of the former both in terms of reduced gastric distension and of improved visualization of organs otherwise hidden by the foam-filled stomach.