Pancreatic endocrine function after total gastrectomy and truncal vagotomy.

ABSTRACT

Oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed in four groups (1) preoperative patients, (2) patients with interposition reconstruction after total gastrectomy, (3) patients with Roux-Y reconstruction after total gastrectomy, and (4) patients with intrathoracic replacement after esophagectomy. We obtained the following results: (1) Hyperglucagonemia in response to orally administered glucose occurred after truncal vagotomy and occurred in the presence and absence of gastric tissue. (2) compared wtih the preoperative study, all postoperative groups demonstrated glucose intolerance. (3) The glucose intolerance was due to increased glucagon, insulinopenia, and possibly nutritional factors. (4) The insulin response to intravenous glucose suggests an impairment in the first phase of insulin secretion in the surgically treated group, demonstrating a role for the vagus in insulin secretion. (5) The glucose tolerance curve shows that the interposition operation is superior the the Roux-Y operation.