Pyloric motility and liquid gastric emptying during barostatic control of gastric pressure in pigs.

1. In conscious pigs, intragastric pressure was controlled by a water barostat such that the gastroduodenal pressure gradient was always positive with the barostat set above 15 cm. In six pigs pyloric motor function was removed by prior pylorectomy. 2. In pylorus-intact animals, isolated pyloric pressure waves (IPPWs) occurred at a median of 2.9 min-1 during duodenal dextrose infusion with the barostat set at or above a threshold of 15 cm. Increases of intragastric pressure above this threshold had no additional effect upon rates of IPPWs. Below this threshold, with identical duodenal dextrose infusion, IPPWs occurred infrequently (0.5 min-1). In pylorus-excised animals virtually no IPPWs were seen. 3. In both pylorus-intact and -excised animals, the rate of antral pressure waves (APWs) was dependent upon intragastric pressure during duodenal infusion of both saline and dextrose. No threshold for stimulation was seen. Duodenal dextrose infusion inhibited APWs in pylorus-intact animals only. 4. With a positive gastroduodenal pressure gradient, gastric emptying was more rapid in pylorus-excised animals than pylorus-intact animals during duodenal dextrose infusion. In contrast, gastric emptying rates were not different between pylorus-intact and -excised animals during saline infusion. 5. These findings suggest an all-or-none-type stimulation of localized pyloric contractions by distension of the stomach beyond a threshold, in synergism with stimulation by nutrients within the upper small bowel. In contrast, stimulation of antral motility is in proportion to distension of the stomach. The pylorus, by way of localized pyloric contractions, is an effective resistor to transpyloric flow in the face of a positive gastroduodenal pressure gradient.