Carbohydrate metabolism in patients after pancreatoduodenal resection

: The authors studied carbohydrate metabolism 4 weeks to 12 months after pancreatoduodenal resection (PDR) in 21 patients whose ages ranged from 40 to 55 years. Seven of them had been operated on for carcinoma of the major duodenal papillas and the other patients for carcinoma of the major duodenal papillas and the other patients for carcinoma of tree pancreas. The control group was formed of 10 healthy volunteers of the same age as the patients of the two groups under study; 10 patients who were subjected to PDR with pancreatojejunostomy and 11 patients in whom resection of the pancreatic stump was completed by intraductal occlusion of the formed stump. None of them had disorders of carbohydrate metabolism before the operation. The patients were examined by the oral test for glucose tolerance (OTGT, 75 g of glucose) with glycemia determination and by intravenous glucose tolerance test (i.v. GTT) with determination of glycemia and C-peptide. It was found that the glycemia curves obtained during OTGT did not have a diabetic character according to the WHO criteria. In performing TTG, the coefficient K was diabetic in both groups. Study of the C-peptide level during the i.v. GTT showed that in the group with occluded ducts the level of the C-peptide and the nature of its secretion differed obviously from those in the other groups under study, which testified to disturbances in the homeostai mechanisms.