[Reorganization of the electrical activity of the transverse colon after cholecystectomy. Study in humans with...

Electrical activity of the colon was investigated in the postoperative period in 12 patients, 1 to 6 days after cholecystectomy. The polygraphic records are obtained during 2 hours each day late in the morning (10-12 h) in a preprandial situation from serosal implantation of bipolar copper wires inserted into each circular and longitudinal layer in narrow portion of the middle part of the transverse colon. The time presence diagrams was built up after recognition of the basic patterns activity previously definite by Sarna as follows: Electro-Control-Activity, with it slow waves (ECA), Electro-Response-Activity (ERA) with Discrete bursts (DERA) or Continuous ones (CERA). In the former postoperative period 1 to 3 days ECA is present with a low range frequency 1-5 c/min. The higher frequency (10-12 c/min) activity arises sporadically, in this case associated with DERA bursts. From the 4th day all activities ECA and DERA increase significantly. The continuous response activity CERA may be observed in all periods but more frequently from the 3rd day with the same mean duration (12.4 +/- 1.85 s for the circular fibers and 21.6 +/- 2.56 s for the longitudinal ones); the predominance of longitudinal activity duration is significative (p = .001). The complex CEC (26-40 c/min) associated with CERA is observed only in 3% of the time recording. Thus after the onset of colonic motility with DERA and CERA in the 3th day, the normalization is obtain the 6th day with the predominant rythm of 1-2 c/min.