Gastric emptying, glucose tolerance, and insulin response after duodenojejunostomy

We investigated the impact of direct jejunal delivery of various meals on gastric emptying, glucose tolerance, and insulin response in a chronic dog model following duodenojejunostomy. Ten beagle dogs underwent duodenal transection 2 cm distal to the pylorus and end-to-side duodenojejunostomy 20 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz. Three months after operation each dog underwent gastric emptying studies using radiolabeled normal saline, 20% glucose solution, and standardized mixed solid meal. Glucose tolerance tests with plasma insulin determinations were obtained using the glucose meal. After duodenojejunostomy both the rapid exponential pattern of emptying of normal saline and the slower linear pattern of glucose emptying seen in intact dogs were preserved. The linear gastric emptying of the solid meal which was slower than gastric emptying of either of the liquid meals was also preserved. Although integrated plasma glucose levels over 2 hr were 484.8 +/- 40.4 and 456.6 +/- 30.4 mg X hr/dl in intact and duodenojejunostomy dogs, respectively (P greater than 0.05), the initial rate of rise of plasma glucose was significantly delayed in the duodenojejunostomy dogs. But integrated plasma insulin levels over 2 hr differed significantly (P less than 0.05) between the intact (71.6 +/- 9.2 microU X hr/nl) and duodenojejunostomy (48.3 +/- 6.2 microU X hr/nl) dogs. We conclude that duodenojejunostomy (jejunal delivery) preserved the patterns of gastric emptying of saline, glucose, and mixed solid meals; retarded initial plasma glucose response to the glucose meal; and blunted plasma insulin response to the glucose load.