Surface Modeling of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI Enables Individualized Diagnosis of Gastric Dysmotility in Gastroparesis

Motivation: Gastroparesis patients have diverse underlying pathophysiology but present overlapping symptoms, complicating effective diagnosis and treatment. Goal(s): This study aims to demonstrate how surface modeling of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI can provide non-invasive and individualized diagnosis of gastroparesis. Approach: Gastroparesis patients and healthy controls consumed a manganese-enriched test meal with natural ingredients. During digestion, T1-weighted MRI captured dynamic images of the stomach every 3 s. Surface modeling captured stomach wall motion, providing individualized dysmotility phenotypes relative to healthy controls. Results: Our results revealed diverse patterns of gastric dysmotility in terms of amplitude, frequency, and propagation of muscle contractions among patients with different and similar etiology. Impact: Our novel MRI-based technique enables precise quantification of gastric motor dysfunctions, providing a non-invasive tool for individualized and evidence-based diagnosis of gastroparesis to inform tailored treatment for potentially better patient outcomes.