Preliminary prospective study of real-time post-gastrectomy glycemic fluctuations during dumping symptoms using continuous glucose monitoring

BACKGROUND Although dumping symptoms constitute the most common post-gastrectomy syndromes impairing patient quality of life,the causes,including blood sugar fluctuations,are difficult to elucidate due to limitations in examining dumping symptoms as they occur.AIM To investigate relationships between glucose fluctuations and the occurrence of dumping symptoms in patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer.METHODS Patients receiving distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I(DG-BI)or Roux-en-Y reconstruction(DG-RY)and total gastrectomy with RY(TG-RY)for gastric cancer(March 2018-January 2020)were prospectively enrolled.Interstitial tissue glycemic profiles were measured every 15 min,up to 14 d,by continuous glucose monitoring.Dumping episodes were recorded on 5 patient-selected days by diary.Within 3 h postprandially,dumping-associated glycemic changes were defined as a dumping profile,those without symptoms as a control profile.These profiles were compared.RESULTS Thirty patients were enrolled(10 DG-BI,10 DG-RY,10 TG-RY).The 47 early dumping profiles of DG-BI showed immediately sharp rises after a meal,which 47 control profiles did not(P<0.05).Curves of the 15 late dumping profiles of DG-BI were similar to those of early dumping profiles,with lower glycemic levels.DGRY and TG-RY late dumping profiles(7 and 13,respectively)showed rapid glycemic decreases from a high glycemic state postprandially to hypoglycemia,with a steeper drop in TG-RY than in DG-RY.CONCLUSION Postprandial glycemic changes suggest dumping symptoms after standard gastrectomy for gastric cancer.Furthermore,glycemic profiles during dumping may differ depending on reconstruction methods after gastrectomy.

Diarrhea after bariatric procedures:Diagnosis and therapy

Diarrhea after bariatric procedures, mainly those with malabsorptive elements including Roux-Y Gastric Bypass and Biliopancreatic Diversion, is common and an essential determinant of quality of life and microand macronutrient deficiencies. Bariatric surgery is the only sustainably successful method to address morbid obesity and its comorbidities, particularly gaining more and more importance in the specific treatment of diabetic patients. Approximately half a million procedures are annually performed around the world, with numbers expected to rise drastically in the near future. A multitude of factors exert their influence on bowel habits; preoperative comorbidities and procedure-related aspects are intertwined with postoperative nutritional habits. Diagnosis may be challenging owing to the characteristics of postbariatric surgery anatomy with hindered accessibility of excluded segments of the small bowel and restriction at the gastric level. Conventional testing measures, if available, generally yield low accuracy and are usually not validated in this specific population. Limited trials of empiric treatment are a practical alternative and oftentimes an indispensable part of the diagnostic process. This review provides an overview of causes for chronic post-bariatric surgery diarrhea and details the particularities of its diagnosis and treatment in this specific patient population. Topics of current interest such as the impact of gut microbiota and the influence of bile acids on morbid obesity and especially their role in diarrhea are highlighted in order to provide a better understanding of the specific problems and chances of future treatment in post-bariatric surgery patients.