Feasibility of High-Resolution Electrical Mapping for Characterizing Conduction Blocks Created by Gastric Ablation

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) initiate, coordinate and propagate bioelectrical slow wave activity that drives gastric motility. In the healthy human stomach, slow wave activity is highly organized. Gastric motility disorders are associated with dysrhythmias. While ablation is widely used to treat cardiac dysrhythmias, this approach has yet to be trialed in the stomach. In this study, radiofrequency (RF) ablation was applied in pig stomachs in vivo to create targeted electrical conduction blocks. Ablations were performed at temperature control mode (55-70°C), and resultant conduction blocks were identified and verified using high-resolution electrical mapping. Termination of slow wave propagation at ablation sites was confirmed by a decrease in extracellular slow wave amplitude from 1.7 ± 0.2 mV to an undetectable amplitude, as well as spatiotemporal pattern analysis of conduction blocks. The use of high-resolution electrical mapping can now be employed to investigate ablation as a potential therapy for gastric dysrhythmias in motility disorders.