Gastric Myoelectric Activity in Patients with Chronic Idiopathic Gastroparesis

Gastric myoelectric and manometric activities were studied by means of a peroral probe in six patients with chronic idiopathic gastroparesis characterized by a marked delay in gastric emptying at scintigraphy and by interdigestive gastric hypokinesia at manometry. Six normal subjects were examined as controls. The study was carried out by means of a probe with Ag‐AgCl suction‐needle electrodes and an open‐tip manometric catheter. In normal subjects this method was able to record in the distal gastric antrum a regular occurrence of pacesetter potentials at a frequency of about three per minute associated with bursts of spikes or secondary waves in correspondence with the pressure waves. In patients with chronic idiopathic gastroparesis a large variety of electric arrhythmias ranging from premature control potentials to tachygastria, tachyarrhythmia, bradygastria, and bradyarrhythmia and to a complete disorganization of electric control activity were recorded. As no pressure waves were recorded during these myoelectric disturbances, the antral motor impairment that characterizes chronic idiopathic gastroparesis may be considered pathogenetically related to the absence of a regular occurrence of gastric control potentials.