Electrical activity from colon overlaps with normal gastric electrical activity in cutaneous recordings

The stability of EGG recordings is affected by a variety of artifacts. The aim of this study was to investigate possible overlapping of dominant frequencies in recorded cutaneous electrical activity arising simultaneously from the stomach and/or colon. Ten normal volunteers, eight posttotal colectomy patients, and four patients posttotal gastrectomy were studied. Fasting cutaneous recordings were obtained using four pediatric ECG electrodes attached to the abdominal surface. Electrical activity was recorded and digitally analyzed using custom-designed software. Spectral analysis after gastrectomy and colectomy showed persistence of power peaks in the gastric electrical activity range of frequency (2.5-3.75 cpm). In conclusion, noninvasively obtained colonic frequencies overlap EGG. This hypothesis is supported by the persistence of power peaks in the EGG range of frequency after gastrectomy and colectomy. Therefore, we conclude that contribution of electrical activity arising from the colon could substantially affect EGG recordings.