Received 13 June 2008; accepted 11 February 2009. published online 16 March 2009.
Tests of gastric neuromuscular function are used to evaluate patients with symptoms referable to the upper digestive tract. These symptoms can be associated with alterations in the rates of gastric emptying, impaired accommodation, heightened gastric sensation, or alterations in gastric myoelectrical function and contractility. Management of gastric neuromuscular disorders requires an understanding of pathophysiology and treatment options as well as the appropriate use and interpretation of diagnostic tests. These tests include measures of gastric emptying; contractility; electrical activity; regional gastric motility of the fundus, antrum, and pylorus; and tests of sensation and compliance. Tests are also being developed to improve our understanding of the afferent sensory pathways from the stomach to the central nervous system that mediate gastric sensation in health and gastric disorders. This article reviews tests of gastric function and provides a basic description of the tests, the methodologies behind them, descriptions of the physiology that they assess, and their clinical utility.
⁎Gastroenterology Section, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
‡Division of Gastroenterology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Reprint requests Address requests for reprints to: Henry P. Parkman, MD, Gastroenterology Section, Parkinson Pavilion, 8th Floor, Temple University School of Medicine, 3401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140. fax: (215) 707-2684
Conflicts of interest The authors disclose the following: Dr Parkman serves as a consultant to SmartPill and Tranzyme. He has research support from SmartPill and Medtronic and has received honoraria from SmartPill and Medtronic for lecturing. Dr Jones serves as a consultant to Boehringer-Ingelheim.
ABSTRACT
Tests of Gastric Neuromuscular Function