Effectiveness of gastric neurostimulation in patients with gastroparesis.
BACKGROUND
Patients with gastroparesis have significantly delayed gastric emptying because of impaired nerve function. Gastric neurostimulation from Enterra Therapy provides electrical pulses to the stomach tissue that promotes stimulation of stomach smooth muscle, thereby enhancing gastric emptying. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Enterra Therapy (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) in reducing symptoms and improving the quality of life of patients with drug-refractory gastroparesis.


METHODS
In this study 25 patients underwent minimally invasive, laparoscopic placement of the Enterra Therapy device. Patients were asked to rank their severity of symptoms and quality of life retrospectively by completing the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale and Short Form 36 Health Survey with respect to their condition before and 6 months after initiation of Enterra Therapy.


RESULTS
Eighteen patients completed the surveys. Patients showed statistically significant improvement in their overall Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale scores and the mental health component of the Short Form 36 Health Survey.


CONCLUSIONS
Currently, Enterra Therapy has Humanitarian Use Device status, which means that more clinical evidence is needed to prove its effectiveness in gastroparesis. By showing that Enterra Therapy reduces symptoms of gastroparesis and improves patient quality of life, this study contributes to the increasing amount of data supporting its use and potential Food and Drug Administration approval.
Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Jeremy
J
Ross
Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Mario
M
Masrur
Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Raquel
R
Gonzalez-Heredia
Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
E Fernando
EF
Elli
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D018589:Gastroparesis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Enterra; Gastric pacemaker; gastroparesis