EFFECT OF FUNDOPLICATION ON THE GASTRIC-EMPTYING OF LIQUIDS

To evaluate the effect of fundoplication on the gastric emptying (GE) of liquids, the authors studied 96 male Wistar rats divided into three main groups: group E (early postoperative), formed by 32 rats that re ceived physiological saline as a test meal and whose gastric emptying was evaluated 8 days after surgery; group L (late postoperative), whic h received the same test meal but was evaluated 29 days after surgery; and group G (glucose), which received 5% glucose in water and was stu died 8 days after surgery. Each group was subdivided in two subgroups of 16 animals: in one (atropine), the animals received intravenous (IV ) atropine sulfate (0.3 mg/100 mg rat weight) 60 minutes before GE tes t; the other subgroup (controls) received IV physiological saline. In both subgroups 8 animals had been submitted to fundoplication and 8 to sham operation. Every test meal, containing 6 mg% red phenol, was inf used by gravity through a metallic catheter. Gastric retention was det ermined by measuring the concentration of the marker in the liquid rec overed from the stomach 10 minutes after infusion. In the animals of g roup E, fundoplication increased the gastric emptying of physiological saline, both in the control and the atropine subgroups. In the L grou p, gastric retention values were similar in fundoplication and sham-op erated rats, suggesting an adaptation of the stomach to the fundoplica tion. In the G group, fundoplication enhanced GE among the control ani mals, but not among those receiving TV atropine sulfate. These results support the importance of gastric emptying studies in every patient t o be submitted to fundoplication. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company