Distal small bowel resection increases mucosal permeability in the large intestine.

Intestinal 14C-erythritol clearance, as a measure of mucosal permeability, was evaluated in rats 4 weeks after distal small bowel resection. In the cecum and colon of resected animals, erythritol clearance was increased both per organ and per unit tissue mass, regardless of the extent of the resection. In the remnant jejunum, however, a small but significant increase in erythritol clearance was only observed after 80% distal small bowel resection, no matter which reference was chosen. This is the first demonstration that intestinal resection increases the mucosal permeability of the remnant small and large intestine.