Entrainment of segmental small intestinal slow waves with electrical stimulation in dogs

The aim of this study was to derive effective pacing parameters for the entrainment of segmental intestinal myoelectrical activity. The study was performed in 12 dogs. Four pairs of electrodes were implanted on the serosa of the jejunum. Electrical stimulation of the small intestine was performed via the most proximal pair. For the slow waves within a distance of 5 cm, a complete entrainment was achieved with a pacing frequency of 1.1 times the intrinsic frequency (IF), a pulse width of 140 msec, and an amplitude of 4 mA. The time required for the entrainment was 25.6 +/- 2.7 sec. The maximum driven frequency was 1.38 +/- 0.03 IF. The percentage of the entrainment at this frequency was 44.0 +/- 3.9%. The data indicate that pacing is able to completely entrain segmental intestinal myoelectrical activity, suggesting that normalization of intestinal myoelectrical dysrhythmia is feasible with pacing.