Abnormal Gastric Motility in Liver Cirrhosis Roles of Secretin

Cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) revealedthat the power ratio, an indicator of rhythmicity of EGGwaveforms was significantly less in liver cirrhosis(power ratio: 28.2 ± 14.5%) than in normalsubjects (power ratio: 45.6 ± 16.2%) (P <0.01), thus demonstrating dysrhythmic EGG waveforms forliver cirrhosis. Gastric emptying time(T1/2), calculated from the half-life ofretained radioisotope (RI) in the region of interest (ROI) in the stomachfollowing the ingestion of RI containing test meal wassignificantly prolonged in patients with liver cirrhosiscompared to the control (liver cirrhosis vs controls 43.2 ± 20.3 min vs 24.8± 9.6 min, P < 0.01). Of the fivegastrointestinal hormones — gastrin, secretin,motilin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and glucagon —serum secretin was significantly higher in liver cirrhosis than the control (P <0.05) and negatively correlated with the power ratio (r= 0.51, P < 0.01). Normal, regular EGG waveforms(power ratio: 47.1 ± 10.2%) became dysrhythmic in normal volunteers (power ratio: 34.1 ±12.4%), when their serum secretin was experimentallyincreased to essentially that in liver cirrhosis andpossible roles of hypersecretinemia in abnormal gastric motility in liver cirrhosis areproposed.