[Effect of restoring duodenal continuity after total gastrectomy in the rat]

An experimental study in the rat compared efficacy of re-establishment or not of duodenal continuity during digestive reconstruction by Y loop after total gastrectomy. Results were evaluated as a function of growth rate in the two groups. Nutrition following gastrectomy in rats treated by this technique was significantly better than in the other rats. Similar findings have been reported in humans, suggesting that this procedure be used more frequently after total gastrectomy.