Propulsion Ability Research Articles

Gastrointestinal propulsion measurement with radiopaque capsules during 16,16-dimethyl PGE 2 infusion

A method to quantitate gastric emptying (GE) and small intestional transit (SIT) by obtaining serial abdominal x-rays after administration of radiopaque capsules was developed. The technique was verified by studying gastric emptying and small intestinal transit in healthy volunteers treated with subcutaneous injections of 0.4 or 0.8 mgs of atropine, 2.5 mg bethanechol, or saline placebo. Atropine decreased gastric emptying and small intestinal transit, and bethanechol only increased gastric emptying. The suitability of this technique for measuring gastrointestinal propulsion in post-operative patients was demonstrated in females undergoing hysterectomy. The small intestine recovered propulsive ability at least six hours sooner than the stomach. This technique was also used while performing a single dose, intravenous tolerance study of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 (OmPGE 2) in normal volunteers. DmPGE 2 was administered over five minutes at a dose of 7 to 140 ng/kg. DmPGE 2 was well tolerated producing only minor side effects that were not dose related. In doses up to 70 ng/kg, DmPGE 2 increased gastric emptying and inhibihibited small intestinal transit. The delayed small intestinal transit may make DmPGE 2 an inappropriate choice for treatment of post-operative or paralytic ileus.

Carbachol stimulation of gastrointestinal transit in the postoperative lleus rat

Postoperative ileus was studied in a rat model which allowed simultaneous and quantitative measurement of gastric emptying (GE), small intestinal transit (SIT), and colonic transit (CT). Measurement of CT for the first time in an animal ileus model was made possible by the injection of solidified, ink-stained agar into the proximal colon. Methoxyflurane and Cyclopal anesthesia were found to delay GE. Abdominal skin incision, but not dorsal skin incision, decreased SIT. Laparotomy caused maximal decrease in GE, SIT, and CT, but laparotomy coupled with intestinal manipulations slowed the spontaneous recovery of the small intestine. The colon regained normal propulsion 9 hr after surgery, followed by the small intestine (12 hr), and then the stomach (18 hr). Carbachol given before or after surgery increased propulsive ability of all three organs, normalizing GE and CT, but not SIT. The rat appears to be an appropriate model for studying postoperative ileus if care is taken to measure transit in each part of the gastrointestinal tract with separate transit markers. The stomach, small intestine, and colon respond differently to various conditions and possibly have dissimilar neuronal inputs controlling propulsion.