Assessment of the preserved function of the remnant stomach in pylorus-preserving gastrectomy by gastric emptying scintigraphy.
BACKGROUND
This study evaluated the preserved function of the remnant stomach by gastric emptying scintigraphy in patients who underwent pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG), and it investigated whether this examination method is a useful tool for evaluation.


METHODS
The residual stomach function was evaluated by gastric emptying scintigraphy in 45 patients with early gastric cancer who had undergone PPG. Function was classified as rapid, intermediate, and delayed emptying types according to gastric emptying curves. Then, the relationships were examined between the gastric emptying types and postprandial symptoms, food intake status, body weight changes, and endoscopic findings.


RESULTS
Seventy-three percent of the PPG patients were classified as belonging to the intermediate emptying type, and the remainder to the delayed emptying type. The frequencies of complaints such as epigastric fullness, nausea, and vomiting were high in the delayed emptying-type patients. The intermediate emptying-type patients consumed larger amounts of food and gained more weight than the delayed emptying-type patients. It was difficult to estimate gastric emptying function from endoscopic findings.


CONCLUSIONS
Gastric function was evaluated by gastric emptying scintigraphy in PPG patients. This method might be useful not only for evaluating the motor function of the remnant stomach, but also for predicting postoperative status.
Michiura
Taku
T
Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan. michiurt@takii.kmu.ac.jp
Nakane
Yasushi
Y
Kanbara
Tatsuya
T
Nakai
Koji
K
Inoue
Kentaro
K
Yamamichi
Keigo
K
Kamiyama
Yasuo
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology*; D018530:Gastric Stump / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019518:Postprandial Period; D011708:Pylorus; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome