Utility of the short time bioelectrical impedance for the gastric motility assessment: Preliminary results

Abstract

In the usual technique for gastric motility assessment, electrical potential variation of gastric mioelectrical activity is recorded. Electrical bio-impedance (EBI) is useful mainly for gastric emptying studies using long time recordings. In this study we evaluated the gastric motility of 11 subjects being in fasting and postprandial conditions. Experiments using drugs to increase the gastric motility and to change the gastric acidity were performed in three of these subjects. With Fourier analysis of short time recordings made during different steps of the experiments (using four electrodes) we found the dominant peaks at frequencies around 2-3 cpm. These peaks had relative variations in heights and widths. Also the intensity of the gastric EBI spectra at higher frequencies increases in the postprandial state and after the use of drugs to increase the gastric motility. These results were similar than those reported using epigastrography. In this study short time bioelectrical impedance assessment for the evaluation of gastric motility is proposed. © Springer-Verlag 2007.