Prolonged ambulatory antroduodenal manometry in humans.

OBJECTIVES

To perform prolonged ambulatory recordings of antroduodenal motor activity in humans.

METHODS

Antroduodenal manometric recordings were performed in 20 normal subjects (12 male, eight female, ages 19-41 years), using a 5-channel solid state catheter assembly (three antral, two duodenal transducers) positioned under fluoroscopy. A glass electrode simultaneously recorded pH in the antrum.

RESULTS

Continuous, simultaneous recordings of antral and duodenal motor activity were obtained for 22.5 +/- 0.3 h. During fasting, 131 complete migrating motor 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 observed in MMC frequency (awake vs asleep: 0.25/subject/h vs 0.64/subject/h; p < 0.05), period (shorter during sleep), phase I duration (longer during sleep), and phase II duration (shorter during sleep). Among females, MMCs were more frequent and shorter. After meal administration, duodenal recording sites demonstrated a typical "fed" response; antral distension and/or retrograde catheter movement, on meal ingestion, however, precluded reliable antral "fed" recordings.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged ambulatory antroduodenal manometry provides detailed and reliable information on fasting antral and duodenal motor activity, antral distension, and/or retrograde catheter migration on meal ingestion; there are limits, however, to the usefulness of this methodology for the evaluation of the fed motor response in the antrum.