Axial forces during gastric emptying in health and models of disease.

The propulsive forces involved in gastric emptying of solid and liquid chyme are incompletely characterized, and the contribution of the proximal region of the stomach to overall propulsion has not been quantifiable. We have used an axial force catheter to characterize longitudinally directed forces during gastric emptying in man. The topography of these forces has been described relative to circumferential contractions, and the contribution of axial forces in experimental models of dumping and gastric stasis were quantified by assessing the effects of intravenous erythromycin and intraduodenal lipid, respectively. There is an excellent correlation between axial forces and gastric emptying of solids in health and in models of gastric dysmotility, suggesting that the axial force catheter semiquantitatively measures propulsive forces during emptying of the human stomach.