Electrical dysrhythmias in the Roux jejunal limb: cause and treatment

Electrical dysrhythmias in the Roux limb after Roux gastrojejunostomy are associated with upper gut stasis of food. The aim of this study was to determine the cause of the dysrhythmias and whether they could be eliminated with pacing. A set of four dogs (Group A) underwent three sequential operations: placement of jejunal electrodes at sites corresponding to the Roux limb; construction of a Roux limb without vagotomy, gastrectomy, or gastrojejunostomy; and transthoracic truncal vagotomy. A second set of five dogs (Group B) underwent truncal vagotomy, distal gastrectomy, and Roux gastrojejunostomy with recording electrodes placed on the Roux limb and a pacing electrode situated at the proximal end of the limb. Electrical recordings were obtained on four separate occasions after each operation. In Group A dogs, orad and disordered propagation of jejunal pacesetter potentials occurred in the Roux limb 56 +/- 5% of the time after limb construction but never before construction. The pattern was not changed with vagotomy. In Group B dogs, electrical dysrhythmias in the Roux limb also occurred and were corrected with electrical pacing. We concluded that electrical dysrhythmias in the canine Roux limb are secondary to the jejunal transection done during Roux limb construction, and are not due to gastrectomy, gastroenterostomy, or vagotomy. The dysrhythmias can be corrected with pacing.