PROLONGED AMBULATORY ANTRODUODENAL MANOMETRY IN HUMANS

Objectives: To perform prolonged ambulatory recordings of antroduodena l motor activity in humans. Methods: Antroduodenal manometric recordin gs were performed in 20 normal subjects (12 male, eight female, ages 1 9-41 pears), using a 5-channel solid state catheter assembly (three an tral, two duodenal transducers) positioned under fluoroscopy. A glass electrode simultaneously recorded pH in the antrum. Results: Continuou s, simultaneous recordings of antral and duodenal motor activity were obtained for 22.5 +/- 0.3 h. During fasting, 131 complete migrating mo tor complexes (MMCs) were recorded (6.6 +/- 0.9/subject). The average interval from onset of recording to completion of the first MMC cycle was 498 +/- 19.24 minutes. Significant diurnal variations were observe d in MMC frequency (awake cr asleep: 0.25/subject/h vs 0.64/subject/h; p < 0.05), period (shorter during sleep), phase I duration (longer du ring sleep), and phase II duration (shorter during sleep). Among femal es, MMCs were more frequent and shorter. After meal administration, du odenal recording sites demonstrated a typical ''fed'' response; antral distension and/or retrograde catheter movement, on meal ingestion, ho wever, precluded reliable antral ''fed'' recordings. Conclusions: Prol onged ambulatory antroduodenal manometry provides detailed and reliabl e information on fasting antral and duodenal motor activity, antral di stension, and/or retrograde catheter migration on meal ingestion; ther e are limits, however, to the usefulness of this methodology for the e valuation of the fed motor response in the antrum.