title: Ameliorating Effect of Transcutaneous Electroacupuncture on Impaired Gastric Accommodation in Patients with Postprandial Distress Syndrome-Predominant Functional Dyspepsia: A Pilot Study.
abstract: Patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) have both reduced gastric accommodation and impaired gastric motility that are difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) for both of these disorders in FD patients. Acute experiments were performed in FD patients to study the effect of TEA and sham-TEA on gastric accommodation assessed by a nutrient drink test and gastric motility assessed by the measurement of the electrogastrogram (EGG). TEA or sham-TEA was performed via cutaneous electrodes at acupoints ST36 and PC6 or sham-points nonacupoints. It was found that (1) gastric accommodation (maximum tolerable volume) was reduced in FD patients compared with the controls (P < 0.03). TEA improved gastric accommodation in FD patients (P < 0.02). (2) Acute TEA significantly increased the percentage and power of normal gastric slow waves in the fed state assessed in the FD patients by the EGG in comparison with sham-TEA. (3) TEA increased vagal activity assessed by the spectral analysis of the heart rate variability in the fed state in FD patients. It was concluded that needleless method of transcutaneous electroacupuncture may have a therapeutic potential for treating both impaired gastric accommodation and impaired gastric motility in patients with FD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Yinzhou Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315000, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571000, China ; Ningbo Pace Translational Medical Research Center, Beilun, Ningbo 315000, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Pace Translational Medical Research Center, Beilun, Ningbo 315000, China ; Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China.
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4457-6346
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Pace Translational Medical Research Center, Beilun, Ningbo 315000, China.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6857-1091
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Yinzhou Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315000, China.
authors.forename: Yuemei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Pace Translational Medical Research Center, Beilun, Ningbo 315000, China.
authors.forename: Jieyun
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7253-2661
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin