Gastric emptying, mouth-to-cecum transit (MCT), and whole-gut transit of a solid-liquid meal was measured in 30 control subjects and in 43 patients with essential dyspepsia, in whom organic digestive diseases and secondary disorders of gastric emptying had been excluded. The rate of gastric emptying was determined by an anterior gamma camera technique, MCT by the hydrogen breath test, and whole-gut transit by the first appearance of stool makers. Approximately 30% of patients with essential dyspepsia, predominantly women, in whom statistical analysis failed to reveal any specific pattern of symptoms, had significantly delayed gastric emptying suggesting idiopathic gastric stasis. Concerning MCT and whole-gut transit, significant differences between the control and study group could not be detected.