GASTRODUODENAL MOTILITY

Significant advances were reported in several areas of gastroduodenal motility during the past 12 months. The complexity and multifactorial control of gastric emptying rate was highlighted. It seems that simult aneous analysis of the spatial and temporal characteristics of gastro- pyloro-duodenal contractions is important in fully understanding the m echanisms of regulation of gastric emptying. Cholecystokinin may play an important role in the afferent sensory pathway to inhibit gastric e mptying by neurohormonal feedback from the duodenum. Very little progr ess was made in elucidating the etiology of dyspepsia. However, it see ms that cisapride may be effective in relieving symptoms of dyspepsia at least in some patients. Erythromycin remains a potential gastro-pro kinetic agent. However, like other prokinetic agents, it may not be ef fective in all patients with gastric stasis and the patients may becom e refractory after long-term use. The method of monitoring gastric fun ction by cutaneous electrogastrogram is noninvasive and convenient, bu t the information it can provide is very limited. This raises serious questions about its potential as a diagnostic tool. Finally, absence o f nitric oxide synthase in the enteric nerves of the pyloric circular muscle may be a factor in infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.