title: Assessment in intestinal motility as a guide in the feeding management of the newborn.
abstract: Coordinated contractions of the gastrointestinal muscle layers mix ingested nutrients with secretions and propel unused nutrients forward for expulsion. Manometry is the technique of measuring pressure changes inside the gut lumen to indirectly measure the presence of contractions in the muscle layers. The types of gastrointestinal motor patterns seen in preterm infants differ from those seen in the adult. Characteristics of these patterns change with age and the way in which babies are fed. This technique has been useful in identifying better ways to feed preterm babies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Berseth
mesh_terms: D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology