gastro-pacemaker

  : Through a nuclear egg study I was found to have a "half-emptying time GT 200 minutes. None of the medications I tried in the past 8 years or so have worked.(reglan,propulsid,erythmycin etc.) My regular M,D. told me this week he heard there is noe a Gastrointestinal-Pacccemaker that can be surgically installed to send electric charges to stimulate stomach muscle contraction to relaive the gastroparesis slow emptying. Have you heard of this? Does it work?
  : Thank You,
  : dave
  Dave, Have you had the electical test done to see why your stomach is not empting?  I also have gastroparesis and the stomach was producing to correct currents and the pace- maker was then out of the question for me.  I was told that they are just starting to use these.  I hope it will work for you, I know what you are going through.  
Dear Beth,
The pacemaker of the stomach is located in the body of the stomach and regulates the rhythm of the entire stomach (usually 3 cycles per minute). Recently, a technology called electrogastrography (EGG) has been developed. EGG can detect abnormal rhythms of gastric myoelectrical activity. These are classified as rapid (tachygastria), slow (bradygastria) or mixed (bradytachyarrhythmia).EGG does not directly measure contractile force or gastric emptying. A series of patterns have been seen in a number of patients with a variety of clinical disorders associated with gastric dysmotility. However, it is not always clear that these abnormal patterns are actually responsible for the symptoms experienced by the patients. Although gastric pacemakers are being developed, they are used mostly in research centers specializing in motility disorders. I hope you find this information helpful.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you want to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians' Office and make an appointment to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
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*Keywords: gastroparesis, gastric pacemaker, EGG