Dai-kenchu-to, a Chinese herbal medicine, improves stasis of patients with total gastrectomy and jejunal pouch interposition.
BACKGROUND
Intestinal motility after gastric surgery frequently is disturbed and results in postoperative intestinal symptoms and poor quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Dai-kenchu-to on intestinal motility and postoperative QOL of patients.


METHODS
Seventeen patients who underwent total gastrectomy with jejunal pouch interposition for gastric cancer in the Department of Surgery of Osaka University Medical Hospital were enrolled. The patients were assigned randomly to the cross-over study with or without 15 g/d of Dai-kenchu-to. Questionnaires and emptying tests using (111)In-labeled liquid and (99m)Tc-labeled solid test meal were performed at the end of each treatment period. A manometric study was performed in 6 patients to measure contractile activity with or without Dai-kenchu-to.


RESULTS
Stasis-related symptoms were reduced significantly by Dai-kenchu-to (P = .032). In the emptying test, Dai-kenchu-to accelerated emptying of both liquid (P < .01) and solid (P = .015) meals from the pouch. The pouch showed bursts of contractions, which were increased significantly by oral intake of Dai-kenchu-to (P = .028).


CONCLUSIONS
Dai-kenchu-to increased intestinal motility and decreased postoperative symptoms of patients with total gastrectomy with jejunal pouch interposition.
Endo
Shunji
S
Department of Surgery, E1, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871 Japan.
Nishida
Toshirou
T
Nishikawa
Kazuhiro
K
Nakajima
Kiyokazu
K
Hasegawa
Jun-Ichi
J
Kitagawa
Toru
T
Ito
Toshinori
T
Matsuda
Hikaru
H
D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D005894:Panax; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011312:Pressure; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D019738:Surgically-Created Structures; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D032106:Zanthoxylum; D030521:Zingiberaceae
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; C121414:dai-kenchu-to