ELECTROGASTROGRAPHY IN DIAGNOSIS OF GASTRIC MOTILITY DISORDER IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Summary. Gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders are common in children. Modern technology has enabled better understanding, monitoring and treatment of these disorders. While gastric anatomic structures are developed prenatally, myoelectric activity and motility develop after the birth. Electrogastrography (EGG) measures gastric myoelectric activity by electrodes that are positioned on the skin. The frequency of gastric waves varies between 0.5–9.0 c/min, usually between 2.0–4.0 c/min with amplitudes between 50 and 500 µV. Frequency above 4.0 c/min is called tachygastria, bellow 2.0 c/min bradygastria, and if the dominant frequency cannot be measured it is defined as gastric arrhythmia. EGG is useful for monitoring of normal gastric function, determining motoric gastric diseases in different states and for the evaluation of treatment of a disease. The method is non-invasive, cheap and safe and is easily performed. These characteristics make the method useful in pediatrics. The future of the method depends mainly on the technical improvement of measurement and data analysis which is crucial for better result interpretation.