Preserved esophagogastric manometric motility in patients after distal gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A prospective study resolved whether commonly employed distal gastrectomies could influence the esophagogastric manometric measurements and the role of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in mediating motility after surgery. METHODOLOGY: Studied groups consisted of 20 patients following radical subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer, 20 patients after subtotal gastrectomy for duodenal ulcer and 20 controls. Fasting blood was obtained to measure serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide levels. A pneumohydraulic infusion system measured esophagogastric motility parameters. RESULTS: Measured lower esophageal sphincter pressures in subjects of gastric cancer surgery, duodenal ulcer surgery and controls were 15.3 +/- 4.7, 13.1 +/- 5.3 and 12.6 +/- 5.0 mmHg, respectively (NS), while the sphincter lengths were 3.15 +/- 0.81, 3.22 +/- 0.79 and 2.86 +/- 0.85 cm, respectively (NS). In addition, other parameters including lower esophageal body remained unchanged. The serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide levels of three groups were 24.1 +/- 10.8, 22.5 +/- 9.5 and 21.3 +/- 7.8 pg/ml, respectively (NS). CONCLUSIONS: Neither gastric cancer nor duodenal ulcer in distal stomach removal can alter the lower esophageal body and LES manometric motilities. Unchanged serum VIP levels after gastric surgery are likely one of the mechanisms preserving esophagogastric integrity.