High Frequency Electrical Stimulation of the Stomach is More Effective than Low Frequency Pacing for the Treatment of Postoperative Functional Gastric Stasis in Humans

Abstract

The paper describes an original method of endoluminal electrical stimulation of the stomach developed by authors. The aim of the study was to compare two types of electrical stimulation: low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) in human patients. Twenty-three patients with postoperative gastroparesis (after abdominal surgery) were involved in the study and randomized into two groups. Group A consisted of 13 subjects treated by LF stimulation (mean age 52 ±11; five males, eight females) and group B of 10 patients scheduled for HF stimulation (mean age 61±8; six males, four females). A computer preprogrammable stimulator was used and the following parameters were evaluated: gastric retention every 12h and symptoms score on the days 0, 1, 3, and 5. Gastric retention decreased in group A on consecutive days of pacing from 1,593 to 623, 407, 315, 246, to 192ml, and in group B from 1,980 to 570, 218, 80, 15, to 0ml (p<0.05). Symptoms score decreased on the consecutive days of pacing from 8.3 to 3.8, 1.3, to 0.9 in the LF group and from 8.2 to 3.1, 1.0, to 0 in the HF group. We conclude that HF is more effective than LF in the treatment of postoperative gastroparetic human patients. No adverse effects of HF and LF were observed in this study.