Question: How do doctors diagnose gastroparesis?
Answer: Doctors diagnose gastroparesis based on your medical history, a physical exam, your symptoms, and medical tests. Your doctor may also perform medical tests to look for signs of gastroparesis complications and to rule out other health problems that may be causing your symptoms.

Medical history

Your doctor will ask about your medical history.  He or she will ask for details about your current symptoms and medicines, and current  and past health problems such as diabetes, scleroderma, nervous system disorders,  and hypothyroidism.

Your doctor may also ask about

the types of medicines you are taking. Be sure  to tell your doctor aboutallprescription  medicines, over-the-counter medicines, anddietary supplementsyou are taking.
whether you’ve had surgery on youresophagus,stomach,  orsmall intestine
whether you’ve hadradiation therapyon your chest or stomach area

Physical exam

During a physical exam, your doctor will

check yourblood pressure, temperature, and heart rate
check for signs ofdehydrationandmalnutrition
check yourabdomenfor unusual sounds, tenderness, or pain
Question: What medical tests do doctors use to diagnose gastroparesis?
Answer: Doctors use lab tests, upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, imaging tests, and tests to measure how fast your stomach is emptying its contents to diagnose gastroparesis.

Lab tests

Your doctor may use the following lab tests:

Blood testscan show signs of dehydration, malnutrition,inflammation, and infection. Blood tests can also show whether yourblood glucoselevels aretoo high or too low.
Urine testscan show signs of diabetes, dehydration, infection, andkidneyproblems.

Upper GI endoscopy

Your doctor may perform an upper GI endoscopy to look for problems in your upper digestive  tract that  may be causing your symptoms.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests can show problems, such as stomach blockage or intestinal obstruction, that may be causing your symptoms. Your doctor may perform the following imaging tests:

upper GI series
ultrasoundof your abdomen

Tests to Measure Stomach Emptying

Your doctor may perform one of more of the following tests to see how fast your stomach is emptying its contents.

Gastric emptying       scan, also called gastric emptying scintigraphy. For this test, you       eat a bland meal—such as eggs or an egg substitute—that contains a small       amount ofradioactive material. A camera outside your body scans your abdomen to show where the radioactive       material is located. By tracking the radioactive material, a health care       professional can measure how fast your stomach empties after the meal. The       scan usually takes about 4 hours.
Gastric emptying  breath test. For this test, you eat a meal that contains a substance that  is absorbed in yourintestinesand eventually passed into your breath. After you eat the meal, a health care  professional collects samples of your breath over a period of a few hours—usually  about 4 hours. The test can show how fast your stomach empties after the meal  by measuring the amount of the substance in your breath.
Wireless motility capsule,  also called a SmartPill.The SmartPill is a small electronic device that  you swallow. The capsule moves through your entire digestive tract and sends  information to a recorder hung around your neck or clipped to your belt. A  health care professional uses the information to find out how fast or slow your  stomach empties, and how fast liquid and food move through your small intestine  andlarge intestine.  The capsule will pass naturally out of your body with abowel  movement.