Exploring the Correlation between GCSI Score and GES in Type 2 Diabetic Patients—Proposing a GCSI Cut-off Score for Guiding GES Utilization: A Record-centric Research Approach

Aim and background: Gastroparesis is evaluated using the gastroparesis cardinal symptom index (GCSI), a validated tool.Gastric-emptying scintigraphy (GES) is a key noninvasive imaging method.Investigating the correlation between GCSI scores and GES results in diabetic patients, this study seeks to elucidate the nuances of this relationship for improved management of gastric motility disorders.Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study, involving 176 T2DM patients with gastroparesis symptoms.Gastroparesis cardinal symptom index scores, laboratory parameters, and GES findings were extracted from the records.Data analysis was done utilizing Chi-square tests and correlation coefficients with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: In this study, participants were categorized based on gastric-emptying timing normal (43.8%),rapid (20.5%), and delayed (35.8%).Clinical parameters, including age, gender, duration of diabetes, and GCSI scores, varied across groups.The delayed group exhibited significantly higher GCSI scores (30.53 7.51) with most individuals having GCSI scores above 18 with significant p-value (p < 0.001).The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, assessed the predictive accuracy of GCSI score cut-off for identifying delayed gastric-emptying.As we go from a lower GCSI score cut-off to a higher, sensitivity is decreasing and specificity is increasing.Remarkably, a GCSI score cut-off of 18 demonstrated a highly accurate predictive ability for delayed gastric-emptying (p < 0.001) with area under the curve of 0.946. Conclusion:This study provides a range of GCSI cut-offs as a valuable tool for predicting delayed gastric-emptying, with significant results at a cut-off value of 18. Clinical significance: This GCSI cut-off score of 18 acts as an effective tool for predicting delayed gastric-emptying, aiding in the diagnosis and management of gastroparesis in diabetic patients.