The interdigestive colonic motor complex of the dog.

Interdigestive colonic motor patterns of conscious dogs chronically implanted with strain gauge force transducers showed regularly recurring motor complexes. These motor complexes consisted of a sequence of 8-12 tonic contractions (frequency: 1.3/min), on which phasic contractions (frequency: 5-6/min) were superimposed. Complex duration was about 7 min, cycle duration about 32 min. These interdigestive motor complexes of the canine colon were not related to the small intestinal motor complexes and must therefore be considered as a unique and organ-specific motor pattern.