The Apomorphine Test I. Choice of dose evaluated in healthy volunteers

Abstract

With the ultimate goal of a simple preoperative prognostic dumping test, this investigation was concerned with establishing the dose of apomorphine necessary to provoke the same dumping symptoms as those provoked by the intraintestinal glucose test. In 16 healthy volunteers, 59 single provocations with 280 ml 18% glucose instilled directly intraintestinally, and 94 provocations with subcutaneous injection of apomorphine doses (from 1/4 mg to 1 mg) were performed. Following provocation with 3/4 mg apomorphine, the number of stronger reactions was significantly larger than that following provocation with 1/2 mg apomorphine (p < 0.01). The reactions following provocation with 1/4 mg apomorphine were not significantly weaker than those following 1/2 mg apomorphine (p > 0.05).

It is concluded that subcutaneous injection of 1/2 mg apomorphine is the most suitable dose in this material.

Key-words:

• Stomach
• apomorphine
• dumping syndrome