Gastrointestinal hormone in dumping syndrome and reflux esophagitis after gastric surgery

Several problems are associated with gastric resection, including the dumping syndrome, reflux esophagitis, and malabsorption. A better understanding of the pathophysiological changes will shed light on new and improved therapy. Serum levels of seven circulating gastrointestinal hormones following a standardized solid meal and a brief score of symptoms were evaluated in 10 patients after partial distal gastrectomy and 12 patients after total gastrectomy, both groups reconstructed by Billroth II anastomosis, and 9 age-matched healthy controls. Patients underwent resection for gastric cancer and were studied 45 +/- 10 months after surgery. At the time of study, the patients had adapted well to surgery and no longer exhibited the severe symptoms of dumping seen immediately post-operatively. In contrast, the total gastrectomy patients exhibited the symptoms of reflux esophagitis. The gastrointestinal hormone changes could be divided into three patterns; obtunded responses (gastrin, PP), normal release (motilin, GIP) and increased secretion (CCK, neurotensin, PYY). In these, the early reaction of neurotensin correlated with the scores of late dumping syndrome and reflux esophagitis. In the literature, many gastrointestinal hormones have been shown to respond as an enhancement rather than adaptation. In other gastrointestinal hormones, secretin belonged to the obtunded type and enteroglucagon were classified in the increased type. However, pathophysiological significance of these hormonal changes remained uncertain. The late adaptive changes in gastrointestinal hormone secretion may help to compensate for loss of gastric motor function which accompanies gastric resection. On the other hand, these hormonal changes may exacerbate the esophageal reflux following gastrectomy.