Adolescent Normative Intervals for Body Surface Gastric Mapping: Spectral Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Physiology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Body surface gastric mapping (BSGM) non-invasively assesses gastric myoelectrical activity.
• Normative intervals in adults have aided clinical decision-making and phenotype development.
• Establishing adolescent-specific reference intervals is essential for accurate interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative reference intervals for key BSGM metrics in healthy adolescents.
• To provide a basis for interpreting gastric myoelectrical activity in pediatric populations.
• To support research and clinical decision-making in adolescent gastroenterology.

Main Methods:

• Recruited healthy adolescents aged 12-17 years (BMI ≤ 35 kg/m²).
• Utilized Gastric Alimetry for 30-min fasting and 4-h postprandial recordings after a 480-kcal meal.
• Calculated reference intervals for Principal Gastric Frequency (PGF), BMI-adjusted amplitude, Gastric Alimetry Rhythm Index (GA-RI), and fed:fasted amplitude ratio (ff-AR).

Main Results:

• Included 107 participants (52.8% female, median age 14).
• Established single normative reference intervals as no significant correlations with demographics were found.
• Median PGF: 3.06 cpm (2.72-3.37), BMI-adjusted amplitude: 37.80 μV (20.0-72.0), GA-RI: 0.51 (≥0.22), ff-AR: 2.12 (≥1.0).

Conclusions:

• Presents the first normative reference intervals for BSGM spectral metrics in adolescents.
• These intervals are vital for interpreting gastric myoelectrical activity in research and clinical settings.
• Facilitates improved diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal disorders in pediatric populations.