Internal Medicine: Open Access
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-8048
ISSN: 2165-8048
Irene Sarosiek
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Intern Med
Gastroparesis (GP), which affects up to 10 million individuals in the United States, is characterized by the presence of chronic, often debilitating upper gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, postprandial fullness, bloating and abdominal pain, while diagnosis is confirmed by documenting delayed emptying of the stomach. The majority of GP patients are idiopathic, whereas in 30% others it represents a serious complication of long-standing type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The past ten years have shown substantial progresses in our understanding of the pathophysiology of gastroparesis as well as its diagnostic tests. However, the pharmacological choices with FDA approved and investigational agents have been limited and often less than optimal. Moreover, in 50-60% of GP patients who are refractory to medical therapy, surgical implantation of gastric electrical stimulation (GES) system improves the symptoms, while addition of pyloroplasty accelerates rate of gastric emptying. Recently introduced concept of needleless transcutaneous electro-acupuncture (TEA) is shoving promising clinical results, while besides controlling symptoms; it improves quality of life in DMGP patients. In this talk, the standard diagnostic tests of GP, including scintigraphy and wireless motility capsule methodologies of gastric emptying test with pharmacological treatment options and their safety, as well as our recent findings on TEA, the surgical approaches of GES plus pyloroplasty and total gastrectomy will be discussed.
Irene Sarosiek is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of GI Motility Neurostimulation Research at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso. She has graduated from the Medical University of Bialystok in Poland. She is an expert in neurogastroenterology and GI motility with over 20 years of expertise in conducting federal, investigator initiated trials, industry funded multicenter, national and international, randomized clinical trials. Her research interest revolves around upper GI motility disorders including gastroparesis, cyclic vomiting syndrome and therapy through implementation of gastrointestinal neurostimulation. The major aspect of her research carrier is dedicated to therapeutic use of neuromodulation, electrical stimulation pacemakers, transcutaneous electrical acupuncture and new generation of the diagnostic procedure including wireless motility SmartPill capsule technology. She has over 300 research publications, including book chapters, articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and abstracts. She has also acted as the Reviewer of different medical and biological journals. As a Leader of the GI Motility research team, she was able to establish a very motivated, successful and reputable Center of the NIH/NIDDK Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium (GpCRC) in El Paso, TX.
Email: irene.sarosiek@ttuhsc.edu