title: The use of electrogastrography and external ultrasonography to evaluate gastric motility in Crohn's disease.
abstract: Although Crohn's disease is associated with various digestive symptoms, there have been few reports on gastric motility. In this study, we conducted a study of gastric motility in Crohn's disease using 20 healthy subjects (N group) and 15 patients with Crohn's disease (C group) by electrogastrography (EGG) using a Nipro electrogastrograph. An EGG was recorded for 30 minutes in a fasting state and after ingestion of 300 ml of a liquid meal. As an index of gastric emptying, the rate of change in the cross-sectional area of the gastric antrum was measured 1 and 15 minutes after ingestion of the liquid meal by external ultrasonography. In an EGG frequency analysis, waveforms with a peak of 3 cycles/minute (cpm) were noted in the N group, and the peak amplitude increased significantly after the ingestion of food. In the C group, division of the normal-gastria component was noted after the ingestion of food in 5 patients (33.3%). In a comparison of the peak amplitudes of fasting brady-gastria, normal-gastria, and tachy-gastria between the N and C groups, the peak amplitude was significantly increased in normal-gastria in the N group, and in brady-gastria and tachy-gastria in the C group. In a comparison of the rates of food ingestion-induced changes in the peak amplitudes for brady-gastria, normal-gastria, and tachy-gastria between the N and C groups, the peak amplitudes were significantly increased in normal-gastria in the N group, but not in the C group. In the case of gastric emptying investigated by external ultrasonography, the rate of food ingestion-induced change in the cross-sectional antrum area was significantly lower in the C group (50.5+/-9.2%) than in the N group (65.0+/-8.5%). For gastrointestinal motility, a 3 cpm normal-gastria represents efficient gastric motility. In the C group, the peak amplitudes of brady-gastria and tachy-gastria were significantly increased, but were low in normal-gastria in the fasting EGG, postprandial division of the normal-gastria component was noted, and the rate of food ingestion-induced increase in the normal-gastria peak amplitude was significantly lower than that in the N group, suggesting that patients with Crohn's disease have a functional abnormality in, not only the small and large intestine, but also the stomach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive and Cardiovascular Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School.
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology*; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019518:Postprandial Period / Q000502:physiology; D011706:Pyloric Antrum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography