Elevated fecal calprotectin values appear more common following esophagogastric than colon surgery

Fecal calprotectin (FCAL) is commonly used to exclude inflammatory bowel disease in patients with symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome spectrum. This retrospective case-control study evaluated FCAL levels in 81 postoperative patients to assess the impact of different gastrointestinal surgeries. Thirty-one patients had undergone esophago-gastric surgery (fundoplication or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), and 50 had undergone colon surgery with hemicolectomy. Elevated FCAL levels (>50 μg/g) were observed in 56.7% of patients after esophago-gastric surgery compared with 24% of patients after hemicolectomy. Median FCAL levels were 96 μg/g and 99 μg/g, respectively. Statistically significant differences in FCAL levels were found between patients who underwent left-sided hemicolectomy and those who underwent Roux-en-Y bypass (P < .001), as well as right-sided hemicolectomy (P = .042). Overall, elevated FCAL levels were more than twice as common following esophago-gastric surgery, suggesting surgery-specific patterns of postoperative intestinal inflammation.