Gastric myoelectric and motor activity in dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus.

Electrical and contractile properties of the stomach were assessed in six adult dogs after recovery from surgical treatment for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), a disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying of the solid phase. Electrodes and strain-gauge force transducers were sutured to the serosa of the antrum and pylorus at the time of surgical intervention for GDV. Ten days after implantation, electrical and mechanical activities were recorded before and after a standardized meal. The analog FM tape recordings of the electrical and mechanical signals were converted to digital time series for analysis by computer. Recordings from dogs after GDV showed increased slow wave propagation velocity in both the fasting and the fed states compared with controls. In addition, the GDV dogs had atypical fasting state phase III activity fronts. We found no difference in gastric slow wave frequency, dysrhythmia, or electromechanical coupling between the two groups. These results indicate that delayed gastric emptying in this syndrome is associated with increased gastric slow wave propagation velocity.