title: Trans-cutaneous electrogastrographic study of gastric myoelectric activity in transposed intrathoracic stomach after esophagectomy.
abstract: We examined the feasibility of trans-cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) in recording myoelectric activity of the transposed thoracic stomach after esophagectomy. Nineteen patients who had Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy were studied. The EGG signal was recorded using cutaneous electrodes placed over the lower sternum. Eleven patients who underwent total gastrectomy served as controls. Normal rhythm pattern (2.4-3.6 cpm > or = 70%) and power ratio (PR > or = 2) was observed in five and 12 patients, respectively, after esophagectomy. The observation of normal gastric rhythm was more frequent in the postprandial period in the esophagectomy group (median 42.6%vs. 7.4%, P = 0.01), and the PR was significantly higher (median 2.27 vs. 1.38, P = 0.013) than the gastrectomy group. Feeding further increased the prevalence of normal gastric slow wave in the esophagectomy group (median 14.8% to 42.6%, P = 0.002) and improved the stability of dominant frequency (median 78% to 67%, P = 0.015). We conclude that gastric myoelectric activities of thoracic transposed stomach can be detected from cutaneous sternal electrodes. This represented a preservation of gastric motility even when the stomach is pulled up to the thorax as a substitute for the esophagus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Digestive Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016065:Myoelectric Complex, Migrating / Q000502:physiology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D019518:Postprandial Period; D013270:Stomach / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery