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Workshops and Directions

The ANMS sponsors research workshops involving clinical disorders and basic science. These workshops bring together individuals from a variety of backgrounds to improve the understanding of areas related to neurogastroenterology and GI motility. Often these workshops lead to publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Gastroparesis Working Group Task Force. Held May 17, 2003 in Orlando, FL. This workshop presented suggestions for future research in gastroparesis, concentrating on three areas – epidemiology, pathology/pathophysiology, and treatment.

ICC/EGG Workshop. Held January 29, 2004 in Nashville, TN. The goals of the workshop were (1) to review the role of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) as pacemaker cells of the stomach, (2) to correlate ICC defects with dysmotility syndromes in the stomach, (3) to objectively review the role of electrogastrography (EGG) in the management of patients with unexplained nausea, and (4) to identify new avenues of investigation to explore the pathogenic importance of myoelectric rhythm disturbances in human disease.

Gastroparesis Consensus Treatment Conference. Held September 12, 2004 in Rochester, Minnesota. This conference presented information to develop evidence based treatment guidelines and algorithms for treatment of gastroparesis. Presentations, followed by open discussions helped to shape the manuscript that resulted from this conference.

Workshop on Consensus Guidelines for Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy: A Joint Project of The Society of Nuclear Medicine and The American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society. Held September 14, 2006 in Boston, MA. This workshop discussed recommendations for a standardized approach for performing gastric emptying scintigraphy. These guidelines for performing gastric emptying scintigraphy would meet standards for both nuclear medicine facilities and clinicians for consistent, accurate, and practical evaluation of patients.

Recent Advances in Understanding the Role of Serotonin In Gastrointestinal Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders. Held September 14, 2006 in Boston, MA. The goal of this symposium was to update participants on the recent advances in understanding the role of serotonin (5-HT) and serotonin receptors in normal gastrointestinal motility, gastrointestinal motility disorders and functional bowel disorders.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome in Adults. Held September 17, 2006 in Boston, MA. CVS in adults is an increasingly recognized condition which can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Adult patients with episodic vomiting symptoms are often referred to GI motility specialists. The conference addressed what is known about CVS in adults and cover areas where research is being performed.

The ANMS hopes to provide future workshops on research in GI motility and neurogastroenterology. Topic suggestions can be sent to the ANMS President, Henry Parkman.