Gastric emptying occurs when the stomach contracts to empty partially digested contents into your small intestine. From there, food moves on down your intestinal tract. Damage to your vagus nerve, which controls these wave-like contractions, causes gastroparesis, or "

Gastroparesis is a condition in which food is delayed in emptying from your stomach into your small intestine. According to a 2008 article in "The Medscape Journal of Medicine,"