Epigastric electrical impedance for the quantitative determination of the gastric acidity

Electrical impedance measurements have been used by scientists since the 1980s to investigate the gastric function. In this work, these measurements were carried out using the epigastrograph, a device generating alternating current of 32 kHz and injecting it in the gastric area of the human body with surface electrodes, located around the abdominal area. Although the method has been used for about three decades the physiological interpretation of these measurements is still under research. This work states that the electrical impedance measurements from the gastric area depend on the conductivity of the gastric lumen, due mainly to gastric acid secretions and to the conductivity and chemical form of the ingested meal. By choosing the proper test meal the gastric acidity in the empty, healthy stomach was also estimated. The estimated value is in accordance with the literature. The method is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, simple to medical technologists and subjects, and involves no radiation risk. The method may form the basis for the development of a non-invasive gastric pH meter.