Accelerometer-Based Assessment of Intestinal Peristalsis: Toward Miniaturized Low-Power Solutions for Intestinal Implants

Abstract

Intestinal electrical stimulation via implants is already used to treat several disorders like constipation or incontinence. Stimulation parameters are most often empiric and not based on systematic studies. One prerequisite to evaluate effects of intestinal electrical stimulation is a direct assessment of intestinal motility. Some common methods are strain gauge transducers or manometry. With both the methods, it is not possible to record the exact 3-D movement. Therefore, we established a new method to record gastrointestinal motility with ultraminiaturized accelerometers, directly glued to the outer surface of the stomach, small intestine, and colon. With this technique, we were able to record precise local motility changes after electrical stimulation. Due to the low energy demand and the small size of the system, it is potentially useful for chronic measurements at multiple sites of the intestinal tract. We will present our first results regarding stimulation-dependent motility changes using up to eight implanted accelerometers in an acute pig model.

The effect of colonic tissue electrical stimulation and celiac branch of the abdominal vagus nerve neuromodulation on colonic motility in anesthetized pigs

“…of colonic neuromodulation on healthy pigs has been the object of a limited number of reports so far. Most of these studies involve acute direct ES on anesthetized and cleansed descending colon [34][35][36][37] or cecum 38,39 using a broad range of stimulation parameters (5-130 Hz, 0.03-3 ms, 7-30 mA). These protocols induce local contractions (single point of stimulation), 35,39 propulsive contractions, [37][38][39] luminal content movement, 36,39 or acceleration of colonic transit in response to sequential stimulations.…”