: Determining Gastric Emptying Time In Elderly Using Ultrasound Associated With Preoperative Fasting Time

Preoperative fasting has always been problematic in preoperative patients because of the pulmonary aspiration hazard and discomfort of prolonged fasting. Although stomach scintigraphy has been accepted as a gold standard for imaging method of evaluating gastric content; recently, ultrasound is being a simple, efficient, available and non invasive alternative. Preoperative fasting is especially difficult in elderly because of comorbidities, dehydration, drug therapies. Therefore, in this study gastric emptying time will be identified after a standard Turkish breakfast in over 65 years old Turkish population to clarify fasting time, measuring antral cross section area (CSA) by using non invasive ultrasound for the first time. Ultrasound assessments on volunteers will be made both in the supine position and right lateral decubitus (RLD) from the epigastric area by using a convex probe. After visualization of gastric antrum according to landmarks such as abdominal aorta, superior mesenteric artery and the left lobe of liver; antrum will measured in two sagittal planes: craniocaudal (CC) and anteroposterior(AP) diameters. Gastric emptying time will be identify by real time usg done by 1 hour intervals.This is the first study with ultrasound evaluation of gastric emptying time in Turkish population after a traditional Turkish breakfast.