ELECTROGASTROGRAPHY IN HEALTHY-CHILDREN - EVALUATION OF NORMAL VALUES, INFLUENCE OF AGE, GENDER, AND OBESITY

Electrogastrography (EGG) is a reliable technique to record gastric el ectrical activity. However, the normal values of electrical activity i n children and the effects of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) a pe not well defined. To evaluate these items, EGG signal was picked up before and after a meal in 114 healthy children (age range: 6-12 year s) by means of a pair of cutaneous electrodes sonographically placed o n the abdominal surface. The dominant frequency was prevalently found in the 2.0-4.0 cpm range (P < 0.001). A significant difference was fou nd comparing the pre- and postprandial instability coefficient of domi nant frequency (P < 0.05). The EGG power increased postprandially (pow er ratio = 3.6), and the power ratio was not correlated to the approac h of the wall of the gastric antrum to the abdominal surface (Spearman r = 0.0045, NS). In obese children, the postprandial pattern in respo nse to a mined test meal containing carbohydrate as the major caloric source was similar to that recorded in normal-weight children. ECG par ameters were not affected by age and gender apart from a significant d ifference in the postprandial instability coefficient obtained from th e ''girls greater than or equal to 9 years'' group compared to the ''g irls <9 years'' and ''boys greater than or equal to 9 years'' groups ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, in children 6-12 rears old, EGG parameters a re not affected by BMI in response to a mixed test meal. Gastric elect rical rhythm and rate; and gastric power are not influenced by age and gender, whereas the instability coefficient seems to be influenced by these factors, The normal values of the EGG parameters evaluated in t his study should be introduced in the analysis of gastric electrical a ctivity for an effective interpretation of the EGG signal from childre n with functional or organic diseases.