Quantitative measurements of gastric emptying of fluids were performed in 11 controls, 12 patients with reflux esophagitis, and in 7 cases with benign strictures of the esophagus secondary to reflux. The method for measuring gastric emptying was the double-sampling test with phenol red as an inert marker. No significant alterations in gastric emptying were noted in reflux patients or in stricture patients compared to controls, although a tendency to a slower emptying was noticed in the latter group. The importance of these findings is discussed.