Functional magnetic stimulation facilitates gastric emptying.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) on gastric emptying in able-bodied and spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects.


METHODS
A prospective, nonrandomized clinical experiment.


METHODS
SCI and disorder center in a Veterans Affairs medical facility.


METHODS
Five healthy, able-bodied subjects and 4 subjects with SCI.


METHODS
A commercially available magnetic stimulator was used; a round magnetic coil was placed along the T9 spinous process. The intensity of the magnetic stimulation was 60%, with a frequency of 20 Hz, and a burst length of 2 seconds for the gastric emptying protocol. Man Outcome Measures: Rate of gastric emptying and time required to reach gastric emptying half-time (GE(t1/2)) with and without FMS. Data fit into linear regression curve.


RESULTS
Accelerated gastric emptying was achieved in both able-bodied and SCI subjects. The mean +/- standard error of mean of the GE(t1/2) at baseline and with FMS was 36+/-2.9 minutes and 33+/-3.1 minutes, respectively, for able-bodied subjects, and 84+/-11.1 minutes and 59+/-12.7 minutes, respectively, for SCI subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Gastric emptying was enhanced by FMS in able-bodied subjects and was greatly enhanced in SCI subjects. FMS can be a useful noninvasive therapeutic tool to facilitate gastric emptying in humans.
Lin
Vernon W-H
VW
Functional Magnetic Stimulation Laboratory, Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Health Care Group, VA Long Beach Health Care System, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA. vernon.lin@med.va.gov
Kim
Kathie H
KH
Hsiao
Ian
I
Brown
William
W
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors