Evaluation of gastric motility in nine dogs before and after prophylactic laparoscopic gastropexy: a pilot study

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a prophylactic laparoscopic gastropexy on gastric motility in healthy large‐breed dogs. Methods This was a prospective pilot study with nine healthy client‐owned dogs. Each dog was its own control. Gastric motility was evaluated before and after laparoscopic gastropexy. Dogs were fed a standard diet three weeks before and after surgery. Gastric motility was measured before and 3 weeks after surgery. A wireless motility capsule (WMC) was used to measure gastric pH, intragastric pressure, temperature, frequency of contractions, motility index (MI) and transit time. Non‐parametric statistical analysis was used to compare the paired data. Clients were contacted for follow‐up information 2 years postoperatively. Results Median frequency of gastric contractions was 1.3 (range, 0.6–1.9 contractions/min) before gastropexy and 1.0 (range, 0.3–2.6 contractions/min) after gastropexy (P = 0.820). Median MI was 49.2 (range, 23.7–96.6) before gastropexy and 28.1 (range, 12.2–148.9) after gastropexy (P = 0.652). Median gastric emptying time was 1140 (range, 486–1230 min) before gastropexy and 1110 (range, 306–2610 min) after gastropexy (P = 0.570). During the hour before the WMC passed through the pylorus, median MI was 72.2 (range, 48.2–549.3) before gastropexy and 52.9 (range, 15.20–322.8) after gastropexy (P = 0.734), and frequency of contractions was 1.1 (range, 0.9–4.1 contractions/min) before gastropexy and 1.2 (range, 0.5–3.0 contractions/min) after gastropexy (P = 0.652). Conclusion Motility in the stomach did not change in healthy dogs after prophylactic laparoscopic gastropexy. We conclude that preventive laparoscopic gastropexy does not induce gastroparesis.

SmartPill™ Administration to Assess Gastrointestinal Function after Spinal Cord Injury in a Porcine Model—A Preliminary Study

“…This change is important to consider clinically as these changes influence nutrimental status and drug absorption, features that can directly affect prognosis of SCI patients [5,12,13]. Minimum gastric pH was similar across all dog and pig species and relative to humans, ranging from 0.1 to 1, with the exception of the male Gottingen minipig study by Suenderhauf et al, which reported min gastric pHs ranging from 1.2 to 6 [30,31,59,60,63].…”

Outcomes and complications of prophylactic incisional gastropexy in 766 dogs (2009–2019).

“…Persistence of GI signs and occurrence of GD following gastropexy for GDV in dogs is attributed to underlying gastric motility disorder or negative effects on gastric motility from circumcostal gastropexy [ 45 – 47 ]. More recently, studies by Gazzola et al and Coleman et al concluded that LAIG did not influence GI motility based on data collected from a wireless motility device [ 48 , 49 ]. Three dogs (0.4%) in the present study had persistent GI signs and 11 dogs (1.4%) had transient GI signs that responded to medical therapy compared to 0-7.7% of dogs with GI signs reported in other studies [ 37 – 39 ].…”

In this issue – July 2019: Student selection and prediction of success · Detection of strangles in horses · gastropexy in large and giant breed dogs · Papers from the inaugural Australian Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship conference 2018

“…A pilot study from Colorado State University, looks at prophylactic gastropexy in large and giant breed dogs that are at risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus . This is a life‐threatening condition, and gastropexy is frequently performed, but its effects on normal gastric motility are unclear.…”