Reduced intestinal permeability to low-molecular-weight polyethyleneglycols (PEG 400) in patients with jejunoileal bypass.

The intestinal permeation and 6-hour urinary recovery of small, multisized tracers, polyethyleneglycol 400 (PEG 400), was used to characterize gut permeability in nine patients after bypass surgery for morbid obesity and in ten healthy volunteers. In the patients, who also had hyperoxaluria, the urinary recovery of ingested PEG 400 was lower than in the healthy persons (10.9 and 24.7%). The patients also showed stronger intestinal exclusion of the larger polymers within the PEG 400.