An electrogastrogram is analogous to an electrocardiogram (ECG) of the guts. It is a recording of the electrical signals that travel through the stomach muscles and control the muscles’ contraction. It is a painless test that measures the stomach’s electrical activity before, during, and after food.
An electrogastrogram (EGG) test is usually utilized in conjunction with other tests to diagnose stomach problems like nausea and vomiting.
It uses sensors stuck to your child’s skin to point out the electrical activity. It’s almost like how an electrocardiogram (ECG) measures the electrical activity within the heart. The test takes almost three hours and is carried out in the Gastroenterology Investigation Unit (GIU).
An electrogastrogram is used when there is a suspicion that the stomach muscles or the nerves controlling those muscles aren’t working normally. Usually, this suspicion arises when there’s a drag with recurrent nausea and vomiting, signs that the stomach isn’t emptying food normally. If there is an electrogastrogram abnormality, it confirms that the matter probably is with the stomach’s muscles or the nerves that control the muscles. The electrogastrogram is often considered a procedure since its exact role in diagnosing diseases of the stomach has not been defined yet.
In an electrogastrogram procedure, a lot of electrodes are taped onto the abdomen over the stomach within an equivalent manner as electrodes are placed on the chest for an electrocardiogram. The electrodes sense the electrical signals coming from the stomach’s muscles, and the calls are recorded on a computer for analysis. Recordings are done with fasting and after a meal with the patient lying quietly.
How are the results of the electrogastrogram evaluated?
In normal individuals, there’s a daily electrical rhythm generated by the stomach muscles–just as within the heart–and the facility (voltage) of the electrical current increases after the meal. For patients with stomach’s muscles or nerves, the rhythm is irregular, or there’s no post-meal increase in electric power.
Are there any side effects of an electrogastrogram?
There are no side effects. The study is painless.
Are there alternatives to the electrogastrogram?
No, there are no alternatives to this study. Antro-duodenal motility studies or gastric emptying studies may give additional information since the stomach’s abnormal electrical activity often results in abnormal muscular activity and minimized or delayed emptying of food from the stomach.
