An electrogastrogram is recording of the electrical signals that travel through the muscles of the stomach and control the muscles' contraction.
It is used when the patient is having problem with recurrent vomiting and nausea, so there can be a suspicion that the muscles of the stomach or the nerves controlling the muscles are not working normally.
Electrogastrogram is similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG) of the heart. Several electrodes are taped onto the abdomen over the stomach to sense the electrical signals coming from the stomach's muscles, and the signals are recorded on a computer for analysis. Recordings are made both fasting and after a meal with the patient lying quietly.
In a patient with normal results, there is a regular electrical rhythm generated by the muscles of the stomach and the power (voltage) of the electrical current increases after the meal, but in patients with abnormalities of the muscles or nerves of the stomach, the rhythm often is irregular or there is no post-meal increase in electrical power.
The testing takes two or three hours and it is painless.
There are no side effects and no alternative to the electrogastrogram.
