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Post-gastrectomy complications have been the associated sequelae after curative gastrectomy for long time. They include a conundrum of symptoms ranging from serious metabolic alterations to disorders attributed to mechanical and neural factors after reconstruction of the digestive continuity. Though, with the advancement in the surgical expertise and techniques and shift towards medical and endoscopic management for benign gastro-duodenal ulcer disease, there has been a decline in the incidence of these complications; they continue to raise "red flags" after major oncologic gastric resections. Identification of these symptoms and protocol based management of the same is of utmost importance in the surgical armamentarium of trainees and practicing physicians and surgeons., (Celsius.)

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) can result in de novo and worsen preexisting gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Post-LSG patients with GERD refractory to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) usually undergo more invasive, anatomy-altering Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) electrical stimulation (ES) preserves the anatomy and has been shown to improve outcomes in GERD patients., Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of LES-ES in post-LSG patients with GERD not controlled with maximal PPI therapy., Setting: Prospective, international, multicenter registry., Methods: Patients with LSG-associated GERD partially responsive to PPI underwent LES-ES. GERD outcomes pre- and poststimulation were evaluated based on quality of life, esophageal acid exposure (after 6-12 mo), and PPI use., Results: Seventeen patients (11 female, 65%), treated at 6 centers between May 2014 and October, 2016 with a median follow-up of 12 months (range 6-24), received LES-ES. Median age was 48.6 years (interquartile range, 40.5-56), median body mass index 31.7 kg/m 2 (27.9-39.3). All patients were on at least daily PPI preoperatively; at last follow-up, 7 (41%) were completely off PPI, 5 (29%) took PPI on an intermittent basis, and 5 (29%) were on single-dose PPI. Median GERD-health-related quality of life scores improved from 34 (on-PPI, 25-41) at baseline to 9 (6-13) at last follow-up (off-PPI, P<.001). Percentage of time with esophageal pH<4 improved from 13.2% (3.7-30.7) to 5.8% (1.1-54.4), P = .01., Conclusion: LES-ES in post-LSG patients suffering from symptomatic, PPI-refractory GERD resulted in significant improvement of GERD-symptoms, esophageal acid exposure, and need for PPI. Preserving the post-LSG anatomy, it offers a valid option for patients unable or unwilling to undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Obesity is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, and one in which gastroenterologists can play an important role. Some digestive diseases are more common in obese patients, and preoperative evaluation may be required in some cases. Additionally, bariatric surgery can lead to digestive complications in the short and long term that require intervention, and endoscopic treatment can be an important factor in weight loss. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of the gastroenterologist in the management of obese patients who are either scheduled for or have undergone surgical or endoscopic treatment for obesity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U., AEEH y AEG. All rights reserved.)

Background: The afferent syndrome loop is a mechanic obstruction of the afferent limb before a Billroth II or Roux-Y reconstruction, secondary in most of case to distal or subtotal gastrectomy. Clinical case: Male 76 years old, with antecedent of cholecystectomy, gastric adenocarcinoma six years ago, with subtotal gastrectomy and Roux-Y reconstruction. Beginning a several abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension, without peritoneal irritation sings. Amylase 1246 U/L, lipase 3381 U/L. Computed Tomography with thickness wall and dilatation of afferent loop, pancreas with diffuse enlargement diagnostic of acute pancreatitis secondary an afferent loop syndrome., Conclusion: The afferent loop syndrome is presented in 0.3%-1% in all cases with Billroth II reconstruction, with a mortality of up to 57%, the obstruction lead accumulation of bile, pancreatic and intestinal secretions, increasing the pressure and resulting in afferent limb, bile conduct and Wirsung conduct dilatation, triggering an inflammatory response that culminates in pancreatic inflammation. The severity of the presentation is related to the degree and duration of the blockage.

Obesity is a major medical problem both within Australia as well as throughout the developed world. Achievement of weight loss for any individual patient brings an additional desirable benefit of improvement or resolution of a wide range of comorbid conditions. Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity and allied diseases. The term bariatrics was created around 1965, from the Greek root baro ('weight' as in barometer), suffix-iatr (relating to medical treatment) and suffix -ic ('pertaining to'). Besides the pharmacotherapy of obesity, it is concerned with obesity surgery. Bariatric surgery refers to surgical procedures of the gastrointestinal tract that are designed to induce weight loss. The treatment of obesity traditionally relied on non-surgical techniques to modify behaviour in regard to diet and exercise. This has variable and limited success. More recently, bariatric surgery has become the most rapidly growing form of treatment for obesity in recent years. In fact, it is the only current therapy that has been shown to achieve major and durable weight loss. It is important for the radiologist to be familiar with the normal anatomical appearance of the more common bariatric operations and to be able to recognise their potential complications on imaging. The aim of this pictorial essay is to give an insight into some of the more common complications of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery encountered in our centre during the period of 2001-2007., (© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology © 2012 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.)

Obesity is rapidly becoming one of the major challenges for health care systems. Surgery has proved to be one of the most effective methods of helping patients to achieve sustainable weight loss. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a relatively new bariatric surgical technique. A staple line is placed in a line parallel to the lesser curve of the stomach, excluding up to 85% of the volume of the stomach. The excluded stomach is then resected leaving a 'tube' of residual stomach. Radiologists may be asked to perform and interpret imaging studies in the postoperative period and should be familiar with the normal appearances and common complications. Postoperative radiological investigations will typically be for suspected leak or obstruction. A water soluble contrast upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series should be performed in both suspected leak and obstruction if the patient is conscious and able to swallow. A normal postoperative UGI series will show free flow of contrast into the gastric remnant, which will be tubular with no spillage of contrast beyond the staple line, which is located on the caudal aspect of the gastric remnant. Stenosis or obstruction of the stomach may occur if the stomach remnant is too tight or torsion of the stomach. Stenosis is usually treated endoscopically with dilation and torsion is treated surgically. Leaks are often treated with covered stents which may be placed with endoscopic or radiological guidance. Collections may be drained under fluoroscopic, ultrasound or computed tomography guidance., (© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology © 2012 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.)

Gastrectomy saves the lives of many patients with gastric cancer. However, this surgical treatment is associated with clinical problems called postgastrectomy syndrome (PGS) which affect the quality of life (QOL) of such patients. For surgeons, improving the QOL after gastrectomy is an important goal after performing curative surgery. In the clinical setting, various surgical procedures such as limited resection, function-preserving procedures, and reconstruction using gastric substitutes have been advocated to reduce the severity of PGS. However, the actual conditions and pathophysiology of PGS have not been fully investigated. Various clinical studies and basic research have partially clarified the features and pathophysiology of PGS, although the strategies developed to treat PGS have been limited. The development of standardized, reliable instruments for understanding PGS and performing large-scale collaborative studies are required to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PGS. In Japan, such a project called the PGSAS has recently been completed. The results are being analyzed and will be reported in the near future.

Functional and metabolic syndromes after surgery of the upper gastrointestinal tract (including the pancreas) are frequent. Resections of organs mandate the reconstruction with a change of anatomy. Predominantly, the reconstruction using a Y-en-Roux jejunal loop is used. The surgical alteration of the anatomy may lead to a different physiology. Patients after esophagectomy or gastrectomy may suffer from dysphagia, dumping syndromes, reflux and anaemia. Pancreatic resections or drainage operations may cause an exocrine or endocrine insufficiency. Patients after surgery for gastroesophageal reflux or achalasia may have gas-related symptoms such as bloating and flatulence. The treatment options of these syndromes include physical measures, drugs, interventional procedures and even revisional surgery. Detailed preoperative information of the procedure and multidisciplinary postoperative treatment (general practitioner, surgeon, gastroenterologist etc.) of evolving functional syndromes is mandatory to achieve a high standard of care.

Aim: To specify policy of nutritive support late after radical gastric resection., Material and Methods: Patients with postgastroresectional dystrophy were examined using standard techniques and estimation of intestinal electric activity (registration of body surface biopotentials on Conan-M myngograph)., Results: Frequency-amplitude parameters of the intestine serve the basis for choice of mixtures for enteral correction. Nutritive support provided for on demand pharmaconutrients--microbiotic correctors., Conclusion: Myography gives additional information for decisions on the policy of nutritive support.

The stomach has a variety of functions that are lost with gastrectomy. Since nowadays a significant number of patients are long-term survivors, consequences of this loss need to be considered by gastroenterologists and surgeons alike. Abnormal transit, disturbed general nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are the most common problems. The main resulting symptoms are early and late dumping, reflux esophagitis, weight loss, anemia, and osteopathy. It is not definitively clear if pouch reconstruction can really improve the situation. Dietary measures, rarely re-operation, and in particular adequate follow-up of metabolic and nutrition parameters with consequent substitution are the main therapeutic necessities.

Unlabelled: This prospective longitudinal study on gastric carcinoma patients with gastrectomy was designed to answer the question about changes in several determinants of the quality of life (QL) at various times before and after surgery and to obtain evidence for specific approaches of therapeutic intervention., Methods and Patients: 36 patients were given a questionnaire structured according to Eypasch et al. (self- assessment) before surgery, at discharge from the hospital, and after 3 and 6 months. The dual structure of the questions makes it possible to determine whether a single item is present at all (prevalence) and to what extent it impairs the quality of life (no impairment/some/moderate/strong impairment--corresponding to 0-3). The data were evaluated per domain of QL as well as item-related., Results: Postoperatively, 14 patients had to be excluded from the study because of non-radical surgery, complications, recurrences, etc. After 6 months the items of all QL-determinants showed the lowest prevalence with the exception, however, of the somatic determinants, the items of which showed a prevalence of 27 % preoperatively, 64 % at discharge from the hospital, 58 % after 3 months, and 46 % after 6 months. The average degree of QL-impairment increased continuously from 1.17 preoperatively to 1.61 after 6 months. Preoperatively the psychic domain was predominantly impaired, postoperatively the somatic domain., Conclusion: Analysis of the subjective quality of life can reveal care deficits. Gastrectomy-associated symptoms seem to influence the quality of life considerably in the first 6 months after surgery. More attention has to be paid to the sequelae of surgery. The high pre- and postoperative frequency of psychic impairment makes it desirable to provide special psychooncological offers of care.

Background/aims: We modified the surgical procedure for segmental gastrectomy, which is normally used for peptic ulcers, to treat early gastric cancer of the mid-stomach. In this paper, we describe the surgical technique and its results., Methodology: The location of the tumor was confirmed by intra-operative endoscopic examination. An area 2 cm proximal and distal to the tumor was marked with sutures. Firstly, the lymph nodes were dissected from around the perigastric and along the left gastric and common hepatic arteries. Then, a segmental gastrectomy was performed. The greater omentum, omental sac, and vagal nerve, including the hepatic, pyloric and celiac rami, were left intact. An end-to-end gastrogastrostomy was performed using Gambee's sutures and 4-0 monofilament polydioxanone. Gastric drainage was not necessary., Results: We performed segmental gastrectomies on 30 patients. Tumors less than 1 cm in diameter were found in 4 patients; 1.1-2 cm in 14, 2.1-5 cm in 11, and a tumor exceeding 5.1 cm in one patient. The cancer was confined to the mucosa in 23 patients; in the other 7, it had penetrated the submucosa. No lymph node metastases were found but 2 patients had microscopic invasion or permeation of the lymphatic vessels. One patient required post-operative balloon dilation of the pyloric sphincter for delayed gastric emptying. The remaining patients had no post-operative complications. To date, 29 patients, excluding one who died in a traffic accident, have survived disease-free for a mean of 30 months (range: 7-51). Their body weight and dietary volume returned to pre-operative levels within 12 months of surgery., Conclusions: Patients who underwent segmental gastrectomy have had a reasonably good quality of life in the post-operative follow-up to date.

The evaluation and treatment of patients after operations on the foregut is a challenge for physicians and surgeons. The early postoperative period is an especially important interval because the very survival of the patient as well as the success of the surgical intervention depends on the correct interpretation of the presenting complaints. In all cases, a thoughtful and systematic approach allows physicians and surgeons to identify the causes and best remedies of these challenging problems.

Alkaline reflux gastritis is a putative postgastrectomy syndrome presumably caused by excessive reflux of upper gastrointestinal content into the residual stomach after operations for peptic ulcer. In this article, the theoretic basis for the existence of such a syndrome is critically examined and found to be wanting in several respects. The diagnosis is therefore one of exclusion. Most nonoperative therapies are only modestly effective, with the possible exception of feeding patients ursodeoxycholic acid. When operation is indicated, the creation of a long-limb (45-cm) Roux-en-Y eliminates reflux. Unfortunately, symptoms are not invariably alleviated. Complications of operation include marginal ulceration and the Roux stasis syndrome.

Forty-two patients with postgastroresection peptic ulcers of the zone of gastrojejunal anastomoses were examined. The cause of the appearance of the ulcers was the action of aggressive content of the gastric stump on the jejunum in the area of anastomosis. "Vagal" peptic ulcers were found by the gastrocepin test. After operations reducing the stump acidity healing of all the ulcers was noted. In achlorhydria of the stump the digestion in it is realized due to reflux at the expense of pancreas proteinases.

Jejunogastric intussusception (JGI) is a rare complication which can develop after partial gastrectomy, gastroenteroanastomosis or enteroanastomosis. Although its management is usually surgical, an endoscopic reduction can alternatively be attempted. We present herein a case of acute JGI in which failure of endoscopic reduction required surgical resection and reconstruction. This is followed by a discussion based on the current available literature.

We present a patient who developed severe anemia and neutropenia after receiving parenteral nutrition for 2.5 years. The serum levels of copper and ceruloplasmin were low, and the bone marrow showed the presence of ringed sideroblasts and vacuolated immature cells. The administration of copper chloride by bolus injection led to a rapid improvement in anemia and neutropenia. The number of progenitor cells (colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage and erythrocyte) present before the copper supplementation was well preserved. It is therefore suggested that copper enzymes play an important role in the maturation of hematopoietic cells.

We present the results of a retrospective study carried out on 23 patients with alkaline gastric reflux (AGR) verified through endoscopy, biopsies and Tc99m HIDA, which were operated on in our department with Y of Roux, Braun, Henley as the correction techniques of this pathology. The criteria of surgical indications were evaluated in these patients as also the results obtained in reference to residual symptoms and changes in the histologic and gammagraphic patterns.

There is still much to learn about the cause of postgastrectomy syndromes. Fortunately, most patients can be managed by conservative measures unless a mechanical cause, amenable to operative correction, is found. Thus, it is important to determine the type of postgastrectomy problem that is affecting the patient. In carefully selected patients, remedial operations may ameliorate the patient's symptoms and permit him or her to return to a normal lifestyle. Humoral factors have attracted increasing attention, especially in patients with the dumping syndrome. The somatostatin analogue octreotide has provided relief from the vasomotor and gastrointestinal symptoms of severe dumping but must be given three to four times a day by injection.

1. The syndrome of reflux gastritis is produced by the actions of bile and upper intestinal and pancreatic secretions alone or in combination on an altered gastric mucosa. 2. The triad of epigastric pain unrelieved by antacids, bilious vomiting, and weight loss, particularly after a gastric operation should make one suspect this syndrome. Anemia due to loss of blood and dysphagia occur less frequently. 3. The definitive diagnosis is made by endoscopy. Barium studies are of less value. Acid secretory studies are not diagnostic and are of academic interest. 4. Medical treatment utilizes antacids and cholestyramine alone or together. Good, long-lasting results with these are infrequent. Despite these results, medical treatment should be tried first. 5. Surgical treatment consists of diversion of the biliary and upper intestinal secretions from the stomach and doing a vagotomy with or without a distal gastric resection to prevent a marginal ulcer from developing. 6. The two most popular operations are a Roux-en-Y diversion or interposed peristaltic jejunal limb. The simplicity of the former has made this more popular with most American surgeons. 7. The results of surgery are good to excellent in 75 to 95 per cent of cases. Relief of symptoms, improvement in histologic and secretory studies, and weight gain should be anticipated. 8. Less than optimal results are reported when the surgical diversion has not been total, gastric stasis persists, or other postgastrectomy sequelae accompany reflux gastritis.

The paper presents the results of the 10-year follow-up of 1,237 patients at high risk for stomach cancer. Among them, 669 patients suffered from chronic gastric ulcer, 78--polyps, 382--chronic gastritis and 108 underwent resection of the stomach more than 10 years ago. Repeated gastroscopic examinations, including biopsy, carried out within the last two years, revealed malignancies in 405 cases (32,7%): chronic ulcers--10.8, polyps--11.1 and chronic gastritis--0,6%. Malignancy of the gastric stump was observed in 5.0%. In chronic gastritis patients, cancer development was registered in cases of hyperplasia only (4.5%). No malignancy was found in cases of reorganization gastritis and atrophic gastritis.

Reflux-induced strictures of anastomoses are well-known complications of total gastrectomys. Since 1974 ten patients with postoperative dysphagia were treated by endoscopy. The enlargement of the obstructed anastomotic ring was done with the unopened diathermy-snare. This simple and uncomplicated method removed the heavy complaints of the patients immediately; no complications were registered until now. Follow-up was 3 to 32 months.

Clinical symptomatology of early and late sequelae after resective surgery in peptic ulcer may be dramatic or insidious; insidious changes for instance may occur in the gastric mucosa or they may be due to chronic deficiency of elementary dietary components. Loss of pylorus function and duodenal-gastric reflux are the most important causes for these symptoms.

We wondered whether Roux gastrojejunostomy alone or with intestinal pacing would slow gastric emptying and ameliorate the dumping syndrome after truncal vagotomy and subtotal distal gastrectomy. In five conscious dogs with vagotomy and distal gastrectomy, the Roux loop alone slowed gastric emptying of 100 ml 5% glucose instillates, but not of 100 ml 25% glucose instillates, while pacing the loop backwards slowed emptying of both. Pacing also decreased the postcibal hemoconcentration and hyperglycemia found after the 25% instillates. However, pacing did not alter the postprandial hyper-GIP-emia (gastric inhibitory peptide) and hyperinsulinemia found in Roux gastrectomy dogs, suggesting that pacing worked by slowing emptying of glucose rather than by releasing enteric hormones. Although pacing did not stimulate jejunal action potentials (contractions), the greater the number of action potentials occurring during pacing, the more the slowing (r = .738, p less than .001). We concluded that the combination of Roux gastrojejunostomy and pacing ameliorated postgastrectomy dumping in dogs. The tests provide a basis for treating humans with postgastrectomy dumping.