Rapid intestinal transit and postgastrectomy malnutrition. An experimental study in growing rats

An experimental study was carried out in young, growing rats submitted to total gastrectomy followed by Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy (RY) or jejunal loop interposition (JI) to test the role of rapid intestinal transit time in postgastrectomy malnutrition. One to two months postoperatively esophago-intestinal transit times were measured and nutrition evaluated by serial body weights. Small intestinal transit times were consistently rapid in the rats submitted to RY reconstruction, in comparison with JI (p less than 0.01). Four months after the operations the growth curves of the three groups (RY, JI and controls) were markedly different. After an initial fall in weight of 33% in the gastrectomized rats, a sizeable increase was observed in the rats with JI (p less than 0.05). This difference in growth may be due to malabsorption and accelerated intestinal transit as a result of bypassing the duodenum after RY.