Gastric Mapping Device Used to Study Gastric Dysfunction

FRIDAY, Sept. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Two groups of patients with chronic nausea and vomiting syndromes (NVS) have been identified, with overlapping symptoms but distinct underlying phenotypes, according to a study published in the Sept. 21 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Armen A. Gharibans, Ph.D., from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and colleagues developed a medical device enabling noninvasive body surface gastric mapping (BSGM) and applied it to assess NVS pathophysiology. BSGM was performed in 43 NVS patients and 43 matched controls using Gastric Alimetry conformable high-resolution array, wearable reader, and validated app to log symptoms. Continuous measurement encompassed a 30-minute fasting baseline, 482-kcal meal, and postprandial recording over four hours and was followed by biomarker analyses.

The researchers identified impaired meal responses in NVS; compared with controls, amplitudes were reduced, fed-fasting power ratios were impaired, and there were disorganized slow waves. Two distinct subgroups were evident within NVS, which had indistinguishable symptoms. Normal BSGM studies were seen in most patients (62 percent), with increased psychological comorbidities and anxiety scores. Markedly abnormal BSGM was seen in a small subgroup (31 percent), with biomarkers correlating with symptoms of nausea, pain, excessive fullness, early satiety, and bloating.

“These findings could improve clinical management of patients with NVS by separating those with gastric dysfunction from those with gut-brain dysregulation or other etiologies,” the authors write.

Several authors hold grants and intellectual property in the field of gastrointestinal electrophysiology. Several authors disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry, including Alimetry.

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