Background:Gastric slow wave dysrhythmias are hypothesized to contribute to dysmotility syndromes, including post-operative delays in gastric emptying. However, the clinical significance of gastric dysrhythmias remains poorly understood. Current methods of electrogastrography (EGG) cannot define the spatiotemporal patterns of slow wave propagation, and the best means to evaluate slow waves is by recording directly from the target organ. New minimally-invasive methods of recording slow waves are required.Aims:To develop a new laparoscopic device for recording serosal slow wave activity. The ideal device should be rapidly deployable, atraumatic to the serosa, and achieve a high signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio.Methods:The device consists of a shaft (4mm diameter x 30cm) and cable, and contains four individual electrodes. The electrodes were constructed from Teflon-coated silver wire (0.3mm), soldered to connecting wires. These were bound in a heat-shrink tube and a stainless-steel shield. The shaft was encased in a teflon sleeve and filled with epoxy resin. The device is sterilized using ethylene oxide. In-vivo validation of the device was performed in an open-abdomen porcine model. Slow wave recordings from the gastric corpus were compared to recordings taken from standard electrodes of the type typically used to record serosal slow waves. An intraoperative trial was also conducted, with antral recordings taken from a 28 year-old female undergoing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Results:Regular slow wave activity was continuously recorded using the novel device in both the porcine and human trials, at a frequency of 3.1 ± 0.10 cycles per minute. Slow wave amplitudes recorded from two pigs were similar between the laparoscopic device (0.39 ± 0.02mV) and standard electrodes (0.36 ± 0.01 mV) (p=0.45). The SNR was slightly superior in the laparoscopic device (13.7db vs 12.6db). High-quality antral slow wave recordings were achieved in the intraoperative trial (amplitude: 0.41 ± 0.04 mV; SNR: 12.6db).Conclusion:The novel laparoscopic device achieves high-quality slow wave recordings. It is easily deployable and is atraumatic to the serosa. We anticipate that this device will prove an important tool in the clinical investigation of slow wave behaviours, particularly in patients undergoing surgical manipulations of gastric anatomy. This device therefore offers new potential to help clarify the role of dysrhythmias in the pathophysiology of dysmotility syndromes, and especially with regard to surgically-related gastric dysmotilities.