Barostat Explained

A barostat is a device used to maintain constant pressure in a closed chamber.^[1] Its main principle is providing constant pressures in a balloon by means of a pneumatic pump.^[2] Barostats are frequently used in neurogastroenterology research, where they are used for measuring gut wall tension or sensory thresholds in the gut.^[3]

A specially designed instrument is needed in neurogastroenterology research since the gut wall has an outstanding capacity to expand and contract spontaneously and by reflex. When this occurs, a balloon placed anywhere in the gut has to be inflated or deflated very rapidly in order to maintain a constant pressure in this balloon.

Barostat-balloon systems have been used anywhere in the gut, including the esophagus,^[4] stomach,^[5] small bowel,^[6] colon, and the rectum ampulla.^[7]

Computer-driven barostats have widely been used to assess sensation and pain thresholds in the gut. Assessment of pain thresholds in the ampulla recti has been proposed as diagnostic measure in irritable bowel syndrome.^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Enteric nervous system
• Gut (zoology)

Notes and References

1. Book: Jerzy Leszczynski. Handbook of Computational Chemistry. 1 December 2011. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-94-007-0710-8. 224–. Barostat Many of the approaches used for controlling the pressure are similar to those that are used for controlling the temperature. One approach is to maintain constant pressure by coupling the system to a constant pressure ....
2. Book: Kenneth William Hinchcliff. Andris J. Kaneps. Raymond J. Geor. Equine Exercise Physiology: The Science of Exercise in the Athletic Horse. 2008. Elsevier Health Sciences. 0-7020-2857-6. 427–. The principle of the barostat is to maintain a constant pressure within a plastic bag of infinite compliance, positioned within the lumen of the segment to be studied. When the internal pressure of the organ increases for any reason (for example, ....
3. Book: Anton Emmanuel. Eamonn M. M. Quigley. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Clinical Management. 10 April 2013. Wiley. 978-1-118-44474-0. 237–. The barostat is as instrument initially developed in our laboratory for measuring variations in gastric tone [28, 29]. ... With the tensostat it is possible to exert constant wall tension at predetermined levels and, consequently, conscious perception ....
4. Book: Marvin Meier Schuster. Michael D. Crowell. Kenneth L. Koch. Schuster Atlas of Gastrointestinal Motility in Health and Disease. 2002. PMPH-USA. 978-1-55009-104-5. 92–. Nifedipine has been studied using both standard balloon distention and barostat testing and has not been found to reliably ... Esophageal barostat experiments were able to measure a difference in tone between the smooth and striated ....
5. Book: Hamid M. Said. Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set. 4 July 2012. Academic Press. 978-0-12-382027-3. 952–. ... The barostat maintains a fixed pressure level within the stomach by adapting the intraballoon volume.4 Measurement of ....
6. Book: Practical Gastroenterology and Hepatology: Small and Large Intestine and Pancreas. 11 July 2011. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1-4443-4786-9. 179–. Small and Large Intestine and Pancreas ... capacity can be estimated using the inflatable balloon mounted on a typical manometric assembly, these parameters can be most accurately and objectively measured using a barostat system [18]..
7. Book: Donato F. Altomare. Filippo Pucciani. Rectal Prolapse: Diagnosis and Clinical Management. 8 March 2008. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-88-470-0684-3. 150–. This finding is in agreement with results of classic rectopexy and reflects the importance of preserving the rectal ampulla. ... A subgroup of patients underwent extensive manometry and rectal barostat to evaluate remaining anorectal function..
8. Book: Scott M. Fishman. Bonica's Management of Pain. 29 March 2012. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 978-1-4511-6140-3. 888–. This modality has been used extensively in studies of various functional bowel disorders, most notably irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspep- sia, and NCCP. More than 40 years ago, intraesophageal balloon distension in humans was reported ... The introduction of the electronic barostat, a computer-driven ....
9. Book: Michael Camilleri. Robin C. Spiller. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment. 2002. W.B. Saunders. 978-0-7020-2655-3. 72–. Evidence of ... increasing increments of pressure (delivered by a computer controlled pump, the barostat) until the patient first reports ....