Cardia function following Billroth I and Billroth II gastrectomy (studies on the significance of duodenal passage for cardia function)

: To clarify whether the duodenum is important to the regulation of cardia function, patients with B-I and B-II resections were investigated manometrically. A test meal can stimulate the LES in patients with a B-I resection almost to the same extent as that in healthy test persons. Symptom-free patients with the distal stomach resection and gastrojejunostomy (B-II) do not show this pressure reaction. Therefore, the duodenal passage could be of importance to cardia function. In patients with a transformation operation of B-II in B-I, because of postgastrectomy symptoms a stimulation of the LES cannot be achieved either before or after the transformation operation. We cannot presently clarify the type of the cardia regulation since the IRG levels measured do not explain this phenomenon.