Reproducibility of gastric myoelectrical activity and the water load test in patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia symptoms and in control subjects

Gastric dysrhythmias and normal gastric myoelectrical activity have been re corded in patients with functional dyspepsia. The aim of this study was to determine the reproducibility of gastric myoelectrical patterns and respons es to a water load in patients with dysmotility-like functional dyspepsia a nd healthy control subjects. We studied 24 patients with dysmotility-like f unctional dyspepsia and 24 age-matched control subjects. Gastric myoelectri cal activity was assessed using cutaneous electrodes to record electrogastr ograms (EGGs) before and after the subjects ingested water until full. The EGGs with water load tests were repeated 1 week apart. The patients ingeste d significantly smaller volumes of water at both week 1 and 2 (358 +/- 26 m t and 349 +/- 30 mL) compared to control subjects (557 +/- 35 mL and 560 +/ - 27 mL, p < 0.01). Gastric dysrhythmias were found in 4 of 24 (16.7%) cont rol subjects at each visit and in 14 (58%) and 12 (50%) of the dyspeptic pa tients at week 1 and 2, respectively. Of 14 patients, 2 (14.3%) had gastric dysrhythmias at week 1 but had normal gastric rhythms at week 2. Thus, rep roducibility was 100% in the control subjects and 91.7% in the patients. In conclusion, some variability in EGG pattern occurred, but gastric myoelect rical activity and responses to the water load test were generally consiste nt and reproducible in patients with dysmotility-like functional dyspepsia and in healthy control subjects.