Gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving gastrectomy: assessment using the 13C-acetic acid breath test.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric emptying after PPG is directly associated with postoperative QOL. Few studies have investigated gastric emptying after a gastrectomy for stomach cancer using carbon-labeled acetic acid breath test.

METHODOLOGY

We analyzed gastric emptying in 28 patients who underwent a gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma. Among the patients, 14 underwent pylorus-preserving gastrectomy and 14 underwent distal gastrectomy. We recruited 15 healthy subjects as controls. Gastric emptying was evaluated with the 13C-Acetic acid breath test was performed. Postprandial breath samples were collected at a 15-min interval for 2 hours and at a 30-min interval thereafter. We calculated the ratio of (13)CO2 expired per hour and determined the time required to reach peak (13)CO2 expiration level.

RESULTS

The time required to reach peak (13)C02 expiration level were 1.78 hours for the patients who underwent pylorus-preserving gastrectomy, 1.19 hours for the control group and 0.70 hours for the patients who underwent distal gastrectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 13C-Acetic acid breath test following an intake of solid foods showed that gastric retention can be preserved after a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy.