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Gastric myoelectrical activity in neonates of different gestational ages by means of electrogastrography
Alexander Roberto Precioso1, Gilberto R Pereira, Flávio Adolfo Costa Vaz
1Children's Institute, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
Gastric myoelectrical activity patterns, measured by Electrogastrography, are similar in premature and full-term neonates during the first two weeks of life. Neonatal gastric activity appears immature compared to older individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Gastrointestinal motility
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) is crucial for digestion.
- Understanding GMA in neonates is important for assessing gastrointestinal function.
- Previous studies have explored GMA in various age groups, but detailed comparisons across neonatal gestational ages are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize pre- and postprandial gastric myoelectrical activity patterns in clinically stable neonates.
- To compare these patterns across different gestational age groups during the first two weeks of life.
- To utilize Electrogastrography (EGG) for assessing neonatal GMA.
Main Methods:
- Electrogastrography (EGG) recordings were performed on 45 clinically stable neonates (divided into three groups based on gestational age: >37 weeks, 32-37 weeks, and 28-31 weeks).
- Recordings were conducted for 1 hour pre- and postprandial periods during intermittent enteral feedings.
- Quantitative analysis of EGG signals was performed using Running Spectrum Analysis after removing motion artifacts.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of normogastria (normal gastric rhythm) exceeded that of gastric dysrhythmias in all studied groups, both pre- and postprandially.
- The dominant frequency of GMA in neonates consistently fell within the normogastria range across both feeding periods.
- No significant differences were observed in the relative changes of dominant EGG power among the different gestational age groups.
Conclusions:
- Electrogastrography patterns of gastric myoelectrical activity are comparable between premature and full-term neonates in the pre- and postprandial states.
- The findings suggest that gastric myoelectrical activity in both premature and full-term neonates is immature when contrasted with older children and adults.
- This study provides insights into the developmental stage of neonatal gastrointestinal motility.
Purpose:
to describe the patterns of the gastric myoelectrical activity, pre-and postprandially, in clinically stable neonates of different gestational ages, during their first two weeks of life by means of Electrogastrography.
Patients And Methods:
Electrogastrography was recorded in forty-five clinically stable neonates of different gestational ages (group I: 15 neonates of > 37 weeks, group II: 15 premature neonates of 32-37 weeks; Group III: 15 premature neonates of 28-31 weeks) receiving intermittent enteral feedings during their first two weeks of life. Electrogastrography recordings were performed for 1 hour pre-and postprandially. The Electrogastrography signal was recorded using the portable MicroDigitrapper Electrogastrography recording device and after motion artifacts were deleted, the remaining Electrogastrography data were submitted to quantitative analysis based on the "Running Spectrum Analysis".
Results:
The percentages of normogastria, pre-and postprandially were greater than the percentages of gastric dysrythmias in all three studied groups. Furthermore, all neonates had the mean values of the Electrogastrography dominant frequency predominantly within the normogastria range, in both periods analyzed. There were no significant differences in the relative change of the Electrogastrography dominant power among the groups.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that the Electrogastrography patterns are similar between premature and full term neonates during the pre-and postprandial periods. The results of this study also indicate that the gastric myoelectrical activity in premature and full term neonates is immature, as compared to that described for older neonates, children and adults.
