Retrograde gastric electrical stimulation suppresses calorie intake in obese subjects

Abstract

Objective The effect of acute retrograde gastric electrical stimulation (RGES) on food intake, gastric accommodation, and gastric emptying in obese patients was investigated. Methods Simple obesity patients underwent RGES or sham stimulation. The maximum food intake volume was determined and the total calorie of consumed food was calculated. Gastric emptying was determined by 99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid scintigraphy. Results Sixteen obese patients were studied, with a median BMI of 32.1 (IQR, 31.2, 33.8) kg/m2. The median gastric emptying time was 106.1 (IQR, 81.8, 122.4) min with sham stimulation and 113.0 (IQR, 83.7, 124.8) min with RGES (P=0.352). The mean maximum satiety food intake was 580 (IQR, 510, 725) mL with sham stimulation and 490 (IQR, 385, 590) mL with RGES (P=0.003). No statistically significant difference was noted between sham stimulation and RGES in the 1 and 2-h food retention rate. The total calories of maximum satiety food intake with sham stimulation were 985.2 (IQR, 842.5, 1063.1) kcal and 759.9 (IQR, 547.9, 784.9) kcal with RGES (P=0.007). Conclusions Acute RGES reduces calorie intake by decreasing gastric accommodation in obese subjects. Copyright © 2013 The Obesity Society.