Gastric and sacral electrical stimulation for motility disorders-A clinical perspective.

BACKGROUND

Electrical stimulation of the gut has been investigated in recent decades with a view to treating various gastro-intestinal motility disorders including, among others, gastric electrical stimulation to relieve nausea and vomiting associated with gastroparesis and sacral neuromodulation to treat fecal incontinence and/or constipation. Although their symptomatic efficacy has been ascertained by randomized controlled trials, their mechanisms of action are not fully understood.

PURPOSE: This review summarizes the past year's literature on the mechanisms of action of gut electrical stimulation therapies, including their impact on the gut-brain axis.