INCREASE OF SWALLOWS BEFORE ONSET OF PHASE-III OF MIGRATING MOTOR COMPLEX IN NORMAL HUMAN-SUBJECTS

The aim of our study was to analyze the relation between the deglutiti ve activity and fasting esophageal and gastric motility in normal subj ects, Fifteen healthy subjects (9 males, 6 females) with a mean age of 42 years (range 19-65) were studied. A 24-hr FH-manometric recording was performed using a probe with four solid-state recording sites 10 c m apart, placed so as to record the motor activity of esophageal body, lower esophageal sphincter (LES) or distal part of the esophagus, and gastric antrum, An additional probe with one recording site was place d in the pharynx to evaluate swallowing. A FH electrode was also place d at 5 cm above the sphincter. Data were transferred to a personal com puter and analyzed using specific software. Subjects received two meal s during the recording session. MMCs were almost exclusively recorded during the nighttime. A mean of 2 +/- 0.94 (so) MMC per subject was de tected with a mean (+/- so) interval, between each cycle, of 86.11 +/- 34.53 min. During the 30 min preceding gastric phase III, the number of swallows showed an increase that reached statistical significance 5 min before the onset of phase III, A similar pattern was observed for the area under the curve (AUG) of the esophagus and LES. In conclusio n deglutition and esophageal motility vary with the MMC, suggesting th at the deglutitive activity is part of the interdigestive motility pat tern.