[24 hour recording of gastric movements in the conscious dog (author's transl)].

Gastric movements were monitored in five conscious dogs weighing 9 to 13 kg by extraluminal force transducers (EFTs) which were independently developed and constructed in our own laboratory. After chronically implanting EFTs both in the canine gastric body and antrum we succeeded in making continuous recordings of their movements over several days. Dogs fed once a day with regular meals showed a circadian rhythm which was divided into three phases; digestive, intermediate, and an interdigestive phase. The digestive phase, which continued for about 8 to 10 hours after feeding, was characterized by a lack of movement in the body and repetitive rhythmical contractions having a rather small amplitude in the antrum. The interdigestive phase was distinguished from other phases by a peculiar sequence of gastric movements (interdigestive contractions) which did not make their appearance until 16 hours after feeding. These interdigestive contractions were the highest amplitude contractions to occur in both the body and antrum during the day. They continued for 70 minutes and repetitively recurred after intervening quiet periods of about 22 minutes. The intermediate phase was the period interposed between the digestive and interdigestive phase.