Outstanding Research Award
Dr. Irene Sarosiek Presents Gastroparesis Research at ACG Annual Meeting
Irene Sarosiek, M.D., AGAF, FACG, CCRP, the director of GI Motility Neurostimulation Research at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, presented her team’s award-winning gastroparesis research at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting, held Oct. 21-26 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gastroparesis is a condition that affects the muscles of the stomach, preventing it from properly emptying. Severe gastroparesis can cause nausea and vomiting, and is often treated with a procedure called pyloroplasty, which widens the stomach so its contents can empty into the lower intestine.
The study demonstrated that pyloroplasty, when combined with a gastric electrical stimulation device, may be more effective than pyloroplasty alone for treating gastroparesis symptoms. The device sends electrical pulses through leads and electrodes implanted into the wall of the stomach. That process transmits a signal to the brain and reduces the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting.
Dr. Irene Sarosiek presented highlights of a five-year study, conducted as a randomized placebo-controlled trial, during the prestigious Presidential Plenary Session at the ACG conference.
Dr. Sarosiek, also a professor of internal medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine, presented highlights of a five-year study, conducted as a randomized placebo-controlled trial, during the prestigious Presidential Plenary Session at the ACG conference.
The research, titled “Combining Surgical Pyloroplasty and Gastric Electrical Stimulation in Gastroparetic Patients Is Superior to Pyloroplasty Alone: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo Control Trial,” was honored with an Outstanding Research Award in the Stomach Category by the ACG.
The TTUHSC El Paso multidisciplinary team of investigators for this project included:
· Professor Richard W. McCallum, M.D., FACP, FRACP (AUST), FACG, as a clinical leader of the project.
· Professor of Surgery Brian R. Davis, M.D., FACS, FASGE.
· Associate Professor of Pathology Osvaldo Padilla, M.D., M.P.H.
· Associate Professor of Radiology Jesus R. Diaz, M.D.
· Internal Medicine Fellow Mohammad Bashashati, M.D.
· Associate Professor of Internal Medicine Tamis Bright, M.D.
· Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine Sherif Elhanafi, M.D.
· Foster School of Medicine student Ryan Torelli and Denise Vasquez, GI research coordinator, who provided clinical assistance and performed statistical analysis.
To learn more about the TTUHSC El Paso GI Motility team’s research, visit Medpage Today.