[Effects of vagotomy on gastrointestinal myoelectric pattern of the conscious dog]

The gastrointestinal myoelectric activity of conscious dogs was recorded by means of chronically implanted electrodes before and after vagotomy. In healthy, conscious, intact dogs, digestive and interdigestive patterns of the myoelectric activity were recognized in the stomach and small bowel. The gastric digestive pattern was composed of cotinuous spike potential activity followed by intermittent spike potential activity, while the intestinal digestive pattern was characterized by intermittent spike potential activity. The interdigestive pattern of the stomach and small bowel consisted of the cyclic recurring, cadually migrating band of intense spike potential activity interrupted by inactivity and intermittent spike potential activity (interdigestive myoelectric complex). After bilateral transthoracic vagotomy, gastric component of the characteristic interdigestive pattern was not observed. The results indicated that vagal innervations have a role in controlling the gastric component of the interdigestive myoelectric complex, and that the disappeared interdigestive pattern of the stomach may play an important role in the mechanisms of gastric stasis after vagotomy.