BACKGROUND: The radioscintigraphic technique has been accepted as the standard by which to measure gastric emptying but it is invasive and expensive. A 13C-acetate breath test was reported to be a noninvasive and reliable method. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of a 13C-acetate breath test in reflecting gastric function and the relationship between food intake and change in body weight after distal gastrectomy. METHODS: Twenty-five patients who had undergone curative distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I reconstruction for gastric cancer and ten healthy volunteers were included in the study. The gastrectomy group was divided into two groups: the stasis group and the nonstasis group. The breath test was performed on the patients with gastrectomy and the healthy volunteers, and the time lag between ingestion and the peak of (13)CO(2) expiration (T lag) was calculated. The manometry study was performed on the patients who underwent gastrectomy and the motility index (MI) was calculated. The relationships between T lag and food intake and body weight were examined. RESULTS: The T lag was significantly shorter in the nonstasis group than in the stasis group. The MI in the duodenum in the nonstasis group was significantly larger than that in the stasis group. There was significant correlation between T lag and food intake, but no significant correlation between T lag and body weight. CONCLUSION: The 13C-acetate breath test might be useful not only for the evaluation of the function of the remnant stomach, but also for the prediction of postoperative status.
BACKGROUND: The radioscintigraphic technique has been accepted as the standard by which to measure gastric emptying but it is invasive and expensive. A 13C-acetate breath test was reported to be a noninvasive and reliable method. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of a 13C-acetate breath test in reflecting gastric function and the relationship between food intake and change in body weight after distal gastrectomy. METHODS: Twenty-five patients who had undergone curative distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I reconstruction for gastric cancer and ten healthy volunteers were included in the study. The gastrectomy group was divided into two groups: the stasis group and the nonstasis group. The breath test was performed on the patients with gastrectomy and the healthy volunteers, and the time lag between ingestion and the peak of (13)CO(2) expiration (T lag) was calculated. The manometry study was performed on the patients who underwent gastrectomy and the motility index (MI) was calculated. The relationships between T lag and food intake and body weight were examined. RESULTS: The T lag was significantly shorter in the nonstasis group than in the stasis group. The MI in the duodenum in the nonstasis group was significantly larger than that in the stasis group. There was significant correlation between T lag and food intake, but no significant correlation between T lag and body weight. CONCLUSION: The 13C-acetate breath test might be useful not only for the evaluation of the function of the remnant stomach, but also for the prediction of postoperative status.
Authors: A W Forstner-Barthell; M M Murr; S Nitecki; M Camilleri; C M Prather; K A Kelly; M G Sarr Journal: J Gastrointest Surg Date: 1999 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 3.267