Comparison of multichannel electrogastrograms obtained with the use of three different electrode types.

The goal of the study was to establish if the conductive area size of recording electrodes affects the quality of a multichannel electrogastrogram. In twelve volunteers (9F, 3M, median age 24 years, range 22-28) on three separate days fasted and postprandial four-channel electrogastrograms were registered in randomized order with Red Dot class Ag/AgCl electrodes of a type: ;2222' (conductive area/total area: 2.00/10.24 cm2, ;2271' 2.54/29.64 cm2, or ;2660' 11.64/11.64 cm2 (total surface conductive!), and subsequently analyzed with a dedicated software. In the case of type 2271 and 2660 the between-electrode electrical conductivity improved at the end of the recording relative to the basal measurement, whereas type 2222 yielded a stable between-electrode electrical conductivity throughout the examination. Despite the differences in either the conductive area size or its construction, the analysis of variance on parameters describing quantitatively the multichannel electrogastrogram did not reveal a superiority of any from among the electrodes tested. Type 2271 was, however, rated the less handy among the three electrodes. Multichannel surface electrogastrography seems to be technically feasible with any type of high quality electrodes, therefore small dimensions and easy handling may favor the choice of a particular type for this examination.