title: Gastric pacing improves emptying and symptoms in patients with gastroparesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  No effective treatment is available for patients with gastroparesis refractory to standard medical therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of gastric pacing on gastric electrical activity, gastric emptying, and symptoms in patients with gastroparesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients with gastroparesis participated in this study. Four pairs of cardiac pacing wires were implanted on the serosa of the stomach. The protocol consisted of two portions: a temporary inpatient study period and an outpatient study for a period of 1 month or more.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gastric pacing entrained the gastric slow wave in all subjects and converted tachygastria in 2 patients into regular 3-cpm slow waves. Gastric emptying was significantly improved after the outpatient treatment with gastric pacing. The gastric retention at 2 hours was reduced from 77.0% +/- 3.3% to 56.6% +/- 8.6% (P < 0.05). Symptoms of gastroparesis were substantially reduced at the end of the outpatient treatment (1.51 +/- 0.46 vs. 2.84 +/- 0.61; P < 0.04). Eight of 9 patients no longer relied on jejunostomy tube feeding, and no adverse events were noted related to the pacing unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastric pacing seems to be able to improve symptoms of gastroparesis and to accelerate gastric emptying in patients with gastroparesis. More controlled studies are necessary to further investigate the role of gastric pacing in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7350, USA.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: McCallum
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Schirmer
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D018589:Gastroparesis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged