Disturbed enterogastric inhibitory reflex after esophageal resection and narrow gastric tube reconstruction

Background/Aims: The gastric emptying pattern after esophageal resection an d narrow gastric tube reconstruction is determined by multiple factors, One of the possible factors is a disruption in the neurohumoral enterogastric inhibitory reflex. The aim of the present study was to determine the possib le alterations of this reflex after esophageal resection and narrow gastric tube reconstruction. Methods: Nine patients each underwent two gastric tub e emptying studies, one without and one with high caloric duodenal tube fee ding. The dual isotope scintigraphic data were corrected for subject moveme nt, radionuclide decay, downscatter and gamma-ray attenuation, Results: The median gastric tube emptying rate of solid food was 57%/h (range 27-195), The median T 1/2 Of liquid food was 67 (range 4->80) min, Both for solid a nd for liquid food, the gastric tu be emptying patterns without and with du odenal tube feeding were not significantly different, Conclusion: The neuro humoral enterogastric inhibitory reflex is disrupted after esophageal resec tion and narrow gastric tube reconstruction, which may contribute to distur bed gastric emptying.