Electrical Activity Of Stomach Research Articles

Effect of NO Synthesis Blocker on Electrical Activity of Rat Stomach and Small Intestine in the Early Postoperation Period

The effect of NO on electrical activity of the stomach and small intestine was studied in chronic experiments on rats during the early postoperation period. Generation of migrating myoelectric complex in the stomach and small intestine was impaired after abdominal surgery. Administration of NO synthesis blocker suppressed the inhibitory influences, which potentiated generation of the myoelectric complex in the small intestine. Our results suggest that NO is involved in the regulation of the migrating myoelectric complex in the small intestine during postoperation motor disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.

Effects of partitioning operations on the electrical activity of the human stomach

To identify the effects that various gastric partitioning procedures have on the electrical activity of the stomach, pairs of bipolar Teflon-coated electrode wires were placed in selected sites of the stomach of 18 patients. Recordings from the proximal gastric fundus above the staple line, from the distal fundus below the staple line, and from the distal gastric antrum were obtained using differential preamplifiers, an oscilloscope, and a dual-channel tape recorder. Oscilloscopic displays were photographed and the electrical signals were recorded for subsequent analysis. The total number of readings at each recording site were: proximal fundus, 79; distal fundus, 59; and antrum, 96. Control electrical rhythm (CER) was found in all the 96 antral recordings. The mean period was 21.6 ± 0.22 sec (SEM). The frequency was 2.8 ± 0.03/min. Only in 4 of the 138 recordings from the gastric fundus, could a low-amplitude CER be identified. Although partitioning of the stomach by stapling produces some degree of crushing injury to the gastric wall, no abnormalities of the CER were noted in the antrum, supporting the concept that the gastric pacemaker of the slow-wave electrical activity (CER) in the human stomach is located below the gastric fundus. Furthermore, in contrast to cardiac muscle, localized mechanical injury to the gastric wall did not result in ectopic foci of electrical activity.

Gastric control of duodenal electric activity--the function of the gastroduodenal junction.

An investigation was made into the links between electric activity of antral and of duodeno-jejunal musculature in different functional conditions. The function of the gastroduodenal junction in this linking mechanism was analysed. The following observations were made: (a) in the absence of gastric stimulation, the slow electric activities of stomach and duodenum appear to be completely independent; (b) the gastroduodenal junction evidences no electric activity of its own but is affected by that of the two adjacent structures; (c) chemical stimulation of the gastric mucosa causes activation of the electric and mechanical activity of the stomach and analogous activation of duodenal musculature; this effect is mediated by the gastroduodenal junction; (d) very probably, the transmission of gastric activation to the duodenum is myogenic for it ceases after surgical transection but not after cooling or after ligature. The possible functional role of the pyloric junction in the complex gastroduodenal mechanism is discussed.