Medications that reduce or eliminate stomach acid usually don't help much. The diagnosis of gastroparesis starts with the medical history where the physician may suspect the diagnosis based on the symptoms. In severe cases, the physical exam and blood tests may show evidence of malnutrition, but usually the exam is normal. An upper GI barium x-ray measures how liquid barium leaves the stomach. Often this exam is normal.
Upper endoscopy is a visual exam of the stomach using a lighted flexible tube.
Mild sedation is usually given for this procedure. This exam should always be done to be certain there is not a blockage in the stomach. A gastric or stomach emptying test is presently the best method of making the diagnosis. In this test, a food, such as scrambled eggs, is labeled with a marker which can be seen by a scanner. Following ingestion, the scanner tracks the time it takes for the food to leave the stomach.