High-Resolution Electrogastrogram: A Novel, Noninvasive Method for Determining Gastric Slow-Wave Direction and Speed

Despite its simplicity and noninvasiveness, the use of the electrogastrogram (EGG) remains limited in clinical practice for assessing gastric disorders. Recent studies have characterized the occurrence of spatial gastric myoelectric abnormalities that are ignored by typical approaches relying on time-frequency analysis of single channels. In this paper we present the high-resolution (HR) EGG, which utilizes an array of electrodes to estimate the direction and speed of gastric slow waves. The approach was verified on a forward electrophysiology model of the stomach, demonstrating that an accurate assessment of slow-wave propagation can be made. Furthermore, we tested the methodology on eight healthy adults and calculated propagation directions (181<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> ± 29<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula>) and speeds (3.7 ± 0.5 mm/s) that are consistent with serosal recordings of slow waves described in the literature. By overcoming the limitations of current methods, HR-EGG is a fully automated tool that may unveil new classes of gastric abnormalities. This could lead to a better diagnosis of diseases and inspire novel drugs and therapies, ultimately improving clinical outcomes.