[Methods of analyzing gastrointestinal motor activity]

In an attempt to computerize the measurements of various analytical features of gastrointestinal motility signals, a brief description of these signals, particularly for myoelectric and contractile activities, is given. The study of myoelectrical activity includes frequency and coupling based on period (1/T) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based correlation and spectral analysis techniques. The contractile signals are studied for motility index as an indication of the amount of activity, waveform features, propagational characteristics, and the frequency of contractions. To deal with situations where only electrical activities are recorded, a methodology for the analysis of spike bursts as per contractile activities is given.