[Bone disorder in long-term survival after gastrectomy with reference to bone mineral content]

To investigate post-gastrectomy metabolic bone disorder, the radial bone mineral content (BMC) was measured with 125I-photon absorptiometry in 131 long-term survivors, the postoperative periods ranged 3 to 30 years. Sixty-eight patients (52 per cent) showed abnormally low BMC levels compared with healthy controls. The 43 patients with total gastrectomy manifested a higher incidence of decreased BMC levels than did the other 88 patients with partial gastrectomy. In females, patients subjected to the Billroth II procedure manifested low BMC values. The extent of the decline in BMC was much higher in females than in males, and higher in totally gastrectomized patients than in partial gastrectomy group. At more than 10 years postoperatively many patients manifested markedly low BMC levels; in totally gastrectomized patients this finding was made at less than 5 years postoperatively. A significant correlation was found between the extent of the decreased BMC levels and the postoperative periods. Of the patients with decreased BMC values, 30 per cent of them gave histories of osseous symptom after gastrectomy, however, 70 per cent of patients were asymptomatic. Based on the results, in long-term survival treated by total or partial gastrectomy, many patients present an osteopenic status, however, the number of those with clinically manifested bone disease such as osteomalacia may be low.