Electrogastrography
A group of researchers from the University of California at San Diego has tested a new portable device that records the activity of the gastrointestinal tract using the (EGG) method.
The electrical activity of the stomach, measured outside the hospital for a long period of time, will reveal the regularities of the gastrointestinal tract in normal and in various diseases. This will give gastroenterologists another diagnostic tool and increase the accuracy and speed of detecting disorders of the stomach.
Researchers have developed algorithms that record the work of the stomach, filtering out artifacts such as external noise, the work of neighboring organs or impulses produced by abdominal muscle cells. This turned out to be a difficult task, because the impulses generated by the stomach cells are ten times weaker than, for example, the heart.
The EGG machine is a small and light box, from which ten electrodes depart. The work is provided by batteries. The electrodes are attached with adhesive paper to the skin of the abdomen in the projection of the stomach.
The experiment involved 11 children and one adult volunteer. To compare the diagnostic potential of the new device, all the subjects performed manometry – a generally accepted procedure for studying gastric motility, based on measuring pressure in different parts of the stomach using a probe inserted through the nose.
The data obtained using the new device were completely comparable in accuracy and reliability with the results of manometry.
Carrying out manometry for children requires introduction into a state of anesthesia or sedation. Given the volume of side effects of anesthesia, before performing the study, it is necessary to carefully weigh all the arguments, talk to the child's parents and get their consent. The new device allows you to get the same reliable data quickly and painlessly, without the introduction of potent drugs.
The device can be connected to a smartphone through a special application and transmit the results of the study to the attending physician in real time, being at home at this moment and doing the usual things.
The scope of potential application of the portable sensor is not limited to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be used by healthy people: for example, in sports medicine, to select the optimal time between workouts for eating, especially with frequent flights with jet lag. In addition, it may be useful for stomach disorders associated with pregnancy or age-related changes in the elderly.
Article by A. A. Gharibans et al. Artifact Rejection Methodology Enables Continuous, Noninvasive Measurement of Gastric Myoelectric Activity in Ambulatory Subjects published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on UC San Diego: A wearable system to monitor the stomach's activity throughout the day.