Enteric cholinergic neuropathy in patients with diabetes: Non‐invasive assessment with positron emission tomography

• Published in: Neurogastroenterology and motility 2020-01, Vol.32 (1), p.e13731-n/a
• Main Authors: Klinge, Mette W., Borghammer, Per, Lund, Sten, Fedorova, Tatyana, Knudsen, Karoline, Haase, Anne‐Mette, Christiansen, Jens Juel, Krogh, Klaus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adrenal glands; Adult; Carbon Radioisotopes; cholinergic neurons; Cholinergic Neurons - pathology; Colon; Computed tomography; Denervation; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - complications; Diabetic neuropathy; Digestive system; Donepezil; Enteric nervous system; Female; Gastrointestinal tract; Humans; Innervation; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction - diagnostic imaging; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction - etiology; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction - pathology; Intestine; Intestines - diagnostic imaging; Intestines - innervation; Intestines - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; organ size; Pancreas; Parasympathetic nervous system; Positron emission tomography; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography - methods; small intestine; Tomography
• ISSN: 1350-1925; 1365-2982
• DOI: 10.1111/nmo.13731

Background 11C‐Donepezil positron emission tomography (PET) allows non‐invasive assessment of cholinergic innervation of visceral organs. We aimed to compare cholinergic innervation in the gut in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and in healthy controls (HC). Methods 11C‐Donepezil PET and computed tomography (CT) were performed in 19 patients with type 1 DM and gastrointestinal symptoms and in 19 age‐ and sex‐matched HC in a cross‐sectional design. Key Results All patients had severe gastrointestinal symptoms when assessed by standard questionnaires. DM patients had significantly increased volume of the small intestinal wall (DM: median 557 cm3 [interquartile range [IQR] 446‐697] vs HC median: 448 cm3 [IQR; 341‐518; P