Gastric functions in patients with cancer esophagus after esophagogastrectomy

ABSTRACT

In surgical management of esophageal carcinoma bilateral trunkal vagotomy is unavoidable and this has some effect on the intrathoracic stomach. So, the purpose of this study was to assess the function of the intrathoracic stomach after vagotomy. This work was conducted on 23 patients with esophageal carcinoma and 10 healthy persons as a control group. Fasting serum gastrin [FSG] was estimated by radioimmunoassay and residual free acidity [RFA] was measured by HCl titration. There was preoperative normoacidity among esophageal carcinoma patients who showed marked reduction in the early postoperative period. Three months later they showed fair acid secretion. Preoperative FSG level was within normal range, one month later there was hypergastrinemia which returned back to normal values 3 months postoperatively. So, it was concluded that intrathoracic stomach has been showed to restore its acid secretory level as well as its gastrin secretion level 3 months after esophagogastrectomy