Electromechanical coupling and anatomy of the in vivo gastroduodenal junction

Abstract

This study applies electrical mapping, impedance planimetry, and histological techniques to the gastroduodenal junction to elucidate electromechanical coupling in vivo. Contractions of the terminal antrum and pyloric sphincter were associated with gastric slow waves. In the duodenum, bursts of spike activity triggered oscillating contractions. The relative sparsity of myenteric interstitial cells of Cajal in the pylorus, compared with the adjacent antrum and duodenum, is hypothesized to prevent coupling between antral and duodenal slow waves.