[The characteristics of the electrical activity of the human colon recorded noninvasively]

In ten healthy volunteers and ten patients with diseases involving the upper section of the gastrointestinal tract (chronic cholecystitis, chronic gastritis) the electrical activity of the colon is registered noninvasively using skin electrodes to the projection site of sigmoid and colon descendens. Recordings are taken with original gastrograph. Apart from the electrocolograms (EColG), the changes in intracolonic pressure in the group of 10 patients are also registered. Pressure recordings (mechanogram--MG) are done in physioscript "Hellige". Two types of EColG waves are identified depending on their frequency: 1) type A waves with frequency 5.86 +/- 0.59 cpm, and 2) type B waves with frequency 2.35 +/- 0.25 cpm. Type A are low-amplitude waves and correspond to the type A waves seen in the EColG of dogs (described by the authors elsewhere), characterizing the calm period of colonic motility. When A waves appear in the EColG no changes in the mechanograms are registered. Type B are high-amplitude waves, corresponding to the B waves in dogs (described elsewhere); as shown by the mechanograms, the appearance of B waves in the EColG is followed by the appearance of high-amplitude waves--the active period of colonic motility. There is a significant difference between the frequencies of either type of EColG waves and the frequency of waves in the electrogastrograms (EGG) registered synchronously with EColG.