Gastroparesis

Resources for the gastroparesis patient

Introduction Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a chronic digestive condition where the stomach fails to properly empty, causing sometimes debilitating symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, pain, and distention/bloating, which persist or reoccur long-term. It can significantly interfere with the…

A vision of the future for gastroparesis

Introduction In gastroparesis, there is abnormal function of extrinsic vagal innervation, smooth muscle, enteric nervous system, or pacemakers in the stomach wall, specifically, the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) or fibroblast-like cells that have receptors for platelet-derived growth factor α.…

Cell transplantation for gastroparesis

Introduction Normal gastric motor function requires coordinated interaction between the central nervous system (CNS), the enteric nervous system (ENS), interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Gastroparesis is a multifactorial neuromuscular disorder involving dysfunction at various levels…

Female predominance in gastroparesis

Key points Epidemiological studies show that the incidence of gastroparesis in women is four times higher than men. Female sex hormones fluctuate during different hormonal stages including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause raising the theory that differences in gonadal…

The pyloric revolution: Patient selection

Introduction The sine qua non of gastroparesis is delayed gastric emptying but as currently defined, gastroparesis is likely a heterogeneous disorder in which symptom pathogenesis is triggered by multiple discrete and connected mechanisms, with delayed gastric emptying representing an epiphenomenon…