Functional magnetic stimulation facilitates gastric emptying.

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) on gastric emptying in able-bodied and spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects. A prospective, nonrandomized clinical experiment. SCI and disorder center in a Veterans Affairs medical facility. Five healthy, able-bodied subjects and 4 subjects with SCI. A commercially available magnetic stimulator was used; a round magnetic coil was placed along the T9 spinous process. The intensity of the magnetic stimulation was 60%, with a frequency of 20 Hz, and a burst length of 2 seconds for the gastric emptying protocol. Man Outcome Measures: Rate of gastric emptying and time required to reach gastric emptying half-time (GE(t1/2)) with and without FMS. Data fit into linear regression curve. Accelerated gastric emptying was achieved in both able-bodied and SCI subjects. The mean +/- standard error of mean of the GE(t1/2) at baseline and with FMS was 36+/-2.9 minutes and 33+/-3.1 minutes, respectively, for able-bodied subjects, and 84+/-11.1 minutes and 59+/-12.7 minutes, respectively, for SCI subjects. Gastric emptying was enhanced by FMS in able-bodied subjects and was greatly enhanced in SCI subjects. FMS can be a useful noninvasive therapeutic tool to facilitate gastric emptying in humans.