Effects of vagus nerve preservation and vagotomy on peptide YY and body weight after subtotal gastrectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the function of vagus nerve and peptide YY(3-36) and ghrelin levels after subtotal gastrectomy.


METHODS
We enrolled a total of 16 patients who underwent subtotal gastrectomy due to gastric cancer. All surgeries were performed by a single skilled surgeon. We measured peptide YY(3-36), ghrelin, leptin, insulin, growth hormone levels, and body weight immediately before and one month after surgery.


RESULTS
Vagus nerve preservation group showed less body weight loss and less increase of peptide YY(3-36) compared with vagotomy group (-5.56 ± 2.24 kg vs -7.85 ± 1.57 kg, P = 0.037 and 0.06 ± 0.08 ng/mL vs 0.19 ± 0.12 ng/mL, P = 0.021, respectively). Moreover, patients with body weight loss of less than 10% exhibited reduced elevation of peptide YY(3-36) level, typically less than 20% [6 (66.7%) vs 0 (0.0%), P = 0.011, odd ratio = 3.333, 95% confidence interval (1.293, 8.591)].


CONCLUSIONS
Vagus nerve preservation contributes to the maintenance of body weight after gastrectomy, and this phenomenon may be related to the suppressed activity of peptide YY(3-36).
Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 602-702, South Korea.
Hyung Hun
HH
Kim
Moo In
MI
Park
Sang Ho
SH
Lee
Hyun Yong
HY
Hwang
Sung Eun
SE
Kim
Seun Ja
SJ
Park
Won
W
Moon
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059351:Organ Sparing Treatments; D019894:Peptide YY / Q000097:blood*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014628:Vagotomy; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D015431:Weight Loss
D054439:Ghrelin; D019894:Peptide YY