Effects of artificial ileocolonic sphincter on motility in intestinal remnant following subtotal small intestinal resection in the dog.

We studied the effects of a sphincter substitute on motility in the intestinal remnant following an extensive distal intestinal resection. Two groups of adult dogs were studied; each underwent a 75% resection of the distal small intestine, and in one group a nipple valve was fashioned at the distal end of the remnant. Nutritional status, absorptive function, motility, and transit were studied over a three-month period. While the nipple valve animals had less diarrhea, steatorrhea, and hypoalbuminemia, motor activity and transit were similar in both groups. Thus, in both groups, fasting motor activity was dominated by clusters of phasic pressure activity. (Cluster frequency, per hour, mean +/- SE, resection vs resection with nipple valve: 4.8 +/- 1.05 vs 3.58 +/- 0.54, NS). We conclude that the beneficial effects of a sphincter substitute in ameliorating the short bowel syndrome in this dog model are not related to any modification of the motor response to resection but may simply reflect those of a low-grade mechanical obstruction.