Canine resistances to gastric emptying of liquid nutrients after ulcer surgery

In two groups of dogs, we studied average rates of gastric emptying of 0.15 M NaCl, 0.6 M glucose, or 0.04 M oleate liquid meals while gastric pressures were controlled by a barostat and compared this emptying to spontaneous gastric emptying of the same three meals. In the first group of dogs, this comparison was made before and after truncal vagotomy + pyloroplasty (TVP); and in the second group, before and after antrectomy, first with gastroduodenostomy (A-BI) and then with Roux-Y bypass (A-RY). Under barostatically controlled gastric pressures, gastric emptying of oleate and glucose remained slower than emptying of saline before as well as after TVP or A-BI and A-RY. However, all operations accelerated initial spontaneous emptying, compressing differences between half-emptying times of the three meals. We conclude postfundic resistances remain after TVP or antrectomy but may act too late to alter rapid initial emptying.