Preservation of intestinal structure and function despite weight loss produced by ileal transposition in rats.

Transposition of a segment of ileum into the proximal small intestine affects eating behavior and body weight in rats. The effect of ileal transposition versus jejunal transposition or sham laparotomy on small intestinal structure and function was studied. Rats ate less after ileal transposition and lost weight compared to the other groups. Small intestinal and pancreatic mass increased after ileal transposition, especially the mass of the transposed segment. Specific activities of the brush border disaccharidases, sucrase and lactase, were not significantly affected by surgery. Enzyme activities in the proximal small intestine increased after ileal transposition when the increased mucosal mass was taken into account. The results of these studies confirm that ileal transposition depresses food intake. The lack of adverse effects on intestinal structure and function may represent an advantage of ileal transposition over other intestinal surgeries for weight reduction.