Reverse gastric pacing reduces food intake without inducing symptoms in dogs

Objective. To investigate the therapeutic potential of reverse gastric pacing (RGP) for obesity by studying the effects of RGP on food intake and symptoms in dogs. Material and methods. The study was performed in 9 dogs in 3 sessions (control, strong RGP and moderate RGP). Gastric myoelectrical activity and food intake were measured in each session. RGP was performed using serosal electrodes implanted in the distal stomach at the physiological frequency of the intrinsic gastric myoelectrical activity with a pulse width of 550-950 ms. The amplitude of the stimulus was set at a level maximally tolerable by the animals in the strong RGP session and 50% of the maximum level in the moderate session. Results. 1) Compared with the control, strong RGP (p <0.001) and moderate RGP (p <0.01) significantly reduced the amount of food intake by 62.9% and 31.7%, respectively (p <0.05, ANOVA). 2) Whereas strong RGP induced significant symptoms, moderate RGP did not induce any significant symptoms in comparison with the control session. 3) The regularity and coupling of gastric myoelectrical activity were significantly impaired with both strong RGP and moderate RGP in the fasting state. Conclusions. RGP impairs intrinsic gastric myoelectrical activity and substantially and acutely reduces food intake. The reduced food intake and freedom from symptoms resulting from moderate RGP are indicative of the therapeutic potential of RGP in obesity.