Myoelectrical Activity of the Stomach in Gastric Ulcer Patients: An Electrogastrographic Study

This study of gastric ulcer patients examined whether characteristic abnormalities in the fasting and postprandial gastric myoelectrical activity could be discerned electrogastrographically and whether these abnormalities, if present, were related to ulcer characteristics and complaints of nausea and vomiting. A total of 61 recordings were made in 31 gastric ulcer patients, both at the time of diagnosis and after ulcer healing, and these were compared to 52 recordings made in 52 control subjects. Several types of abnormal gastric myoelectrical activity were found in patients with an active ulcer: 1) instability of both the fasting and postprandial gastric frequency; 2) absence of the normal postprandial amplitude increase in the electrogastrogram; 3) waveform changes in the electrogastrographic signal in both the fasting and postprandial states; and 4) tachygastrias. These abnormalities were predominantly found in ulcer patients with symptoms of nausea and vomiting. They disappeared with ulcer healing and resolution of nausea and vomiting. These findings indicate that the abnormalities in gastric myoelectrical activity found in gastric ulcer patients are not merely due to the presence of the ulcer itself, but are associated with the presence of nausea and vomiting.