[Myoelectrical activity of the stomach in children with gastroesophageal reflux]

Aim of the study was analysis of the gastric myoelectrical activity changes recorded by cutaneous electrogastrography in children with gastroesophageal reflux. We analyzed cutaneous electrogastrograms (EGG) of 103 children also underwent 24-hours intraesophageal pH probe. We divided children into 2 groups basing on pH fraction time below 4 (FT): Reflux group (FT > 4%) and control group (FT < 4%). The Reflux group was formed of 54 children (27 girls and 27 boys) aged 3-17 years (mean 10.9), the control group consisted of 49 children (24 girls and 25 boys) aged 3-18 years (mean 11.4). Then we divided the Reflux group into two subgroups: "N"--with nocturnal episodes of gastroesophageal reflux--29 children (14 boys and 15 girls), "D"--with no reflux episodes during the nightime--25 children (12 girls and 13 boys). We analyzed the following pre- and postprandial EGG parameters: percentage of bradygastria, normogastria and tachygastria, total percentage of dysryhthmias, dominant frequency (PDF), dominant power (PDP), post/preprandial power ratio (PR), dominant frequency instability coefficient (DFIC). In the Reflux N group PDP was 10.24 mV2 preprandially and 17.34 mV2 after meal; in the control group PDP was 49.83 and 104.34 mV2 respectively (the differences between groups were statistically significant in both fasting and fed states: p < 0.02). In the Reflux D group comparing to the controls we found less percentage of postprandial bradygastria (p < 0.05). The other EGG parameters were no statistically different. EGG analysis suggests a different pathomechanism of gastroesophageal reflux episodes in the patients with nocturnal reflux episodes.