Novel surgical treatment and gastric pathology in diabetic gastroparesis

Aims Observations are made on four Type 1 diabetic patients with the rare s yndrome of intractable vomiting from confirmed gastroparesis, to determine whether radical surgery would alleviate their symptoms and subsequently to examine in detail the gastric histopathology. Methods The surgical approach consisted of an approximate to 70% resection of the stomach, including the antrum and pylorus, with closure of the duode num and restoration of gastrointestinal continuity with a 60-cm Roux-en-Y j ejunal loop. Four longstanding Type 1 diabetic patients were examined and t reated as described. They were all women in the age range 27-41 years with grossly abnormal autonomic function tests in whom other causes for gastric paresis had been excluded. Results Vomiting episodes leading to multiple hospital admissions (6-8) in the year preceeding surgery were eliminated in three of the four patients, while in the fourth initial success was followed by the need for dialysis f or renal failure. Gastric histopathology showed evidence of smooth muscle d egeneration and fibrosis, with eosinophilic inclusion bodies (M-bodics) whi ch appear to be unique to this condition. The findings suggest the presence of a gastromyopathy. Conclusions Satisfactory relief of intractable vomiting from diabetic gastr oparesis was achieved by a novel radical surgical procedure, Histopathologi cal findings suggest that gastromyopathy may contribute to the production o f this syndrome.