Ahmed Shafik, MD, PhD

Department of Surgery and Experimental Research, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Received 05/21/96; Accepted 06/12/96; On-line 07/01/96

Electric activity has been recorded from the gut in the form of slow waves or pacesetter potentials (PPs) in normal subjects and patients with various pathologies of the bowel (1-13). The PPs in normal subjects were regular and consistent when repeated in the same individual (1-11). They were followed randomly by spikes of action potentials (APs) which were inconsistent and which were associated with elevation of rectal pressure (10, 11).Various pathologies of the bowel have been associated with electrorectographic irregularities (12, 13).

Electric activity has also been recorded from the sigmoid colon as PPs and Aps (14). Specific patterns of electrosigmoidogram (ESG) were recorded for the sigmiod colon (14). ESG was performed using silver-silver chloride electrodes attached by suction to the mucosa of sigmoid colon. The electrodes were introduced through a left-sided colostomy (14). As this method of ESG is not suitable for the conventional use, in this study we examined the feasibility of performing the ESG transcutaneously, making it more convenient and acceptable to the patient.