Background: Gastric phasic activity (GPA) of 3/min is measured by impedance gastrography (IGG) in healthy adults after a meal. IGG was performed in infants with severe gastrointestinal diseases to see if the presence of disease could affect GPA.

Subjects: 21 patients (0-2 months) with partial or total intestinal obstruction (n=11), necrotising enterocolitis (n=8), ileus (n=2) and 40 control infants (0-2 months).

Interventions: All infants were fasting and were studied in periods of at least one hour. The patients were examined in the acute state and after cure.

Results: Three specific patterns were only found in patients in the acute state but not after cure persistent phasic activity (19/21), phasic activity frequency >5/min. (11/21), high amplitude of the signal (3/21). A tendency was found towards the lower in the intestines the affection, the higher the frequency.

Conclusion: Three specific patterns of GPA was only found in patients. The origin of GPA is unknown but may be related to electrical control activity. However a new marker of gastro-intestinal diseases is found.