Myoelectrical activity of the stomach after surgical correction of esophageal atresia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the motor activity in the stomach of infants with repaired esophageal atresia (EA).

METHOD: Gastric myoelectrical activity was investigated by cutaneous electrogastrography in 15 infants after the surgical correction of EA. Ten infants with no gastrointestinal upset served as controls. Studies were done before and after a milk feed. The pH of the lower esophagus was measured for 24 hours to assess the gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in the infants with repaired EA.

RESULTS

After feeding, a significant increase in bradygastria and decrease in tachygastria were observed as compared with the preprandial period. Compared with healthy infants, the electrogram showed pathological patterns in 73.3% (11/15) of EA patients. Twelve of 15 EA patients showed some clinical sign of GER, and 60% of the EA patients proved to be GER-positive on esophageal pH monitoring. There was no difference in the distribution of gastric myoelectrical waves between the GER-positive and GER-negative EA patients either before or after meal.

CONCLUSION

Cutaneous electrogastrography is a noninvasive, harmless method for obtaining indirect information about the motor function of the stomach. The abnormal changes in physiological gastric myoelectrical activity in EA patients can serve as markers of disturbed neuromuscular function and can play a role in the pathogenesis of feeding disturbances after operative correction of EA. Gastroesophageal reflux, which often occurs after surgical repair of EA, seems to be connected not only with disordered gastric myoelectric activity, but also probably with other factors such as artificially straightened esophagogastric angle or brachyesophagus.