Altered postprandial motility in chronic pancreatitis: Role of malabsorption

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Intraileal nutrients modulate gastrointestinal motility, but effects of maldigestion on postprandial motility are unknown. The aim of this study was to compare motor responses with ileal nutrient exposure in health and pancreatic insufficiency after a meal or intraluminal perfusion. METHODS: After oroileal multilumen intubation for duodeno-jejuno-ileal sampling, marker perfusion, and motility recording, 14 normal subjects and 12 patients with severe pancreatic insufficiency received a labeled liquid meal twice, either with placebo or pancreatin. Effects of intraileal nutrient perfusion on fed motility induced by duodenal amino acid perfusion were also investigated. RESULTS: Compared with normals, untreated patients had greater cumulative ileal nutrient delivery (69 +/- 21 vs. 487 +/- 232 kJ), shorter fed pattern (196 +/- 22 vs. 131 +/- 14 minutes), greater 90% gastric emptying (163 +/- 12 vs. 128 +/- 10 minutes), and faster small intestinal transit (86 +/- 9 vs. 44 +/- 6 minutes). Pancreatin reversed these changes. Ileal nutrient perfusion converted fed into interdigestive-like motility in normals (7 of 8) and patients (4 of 5). CONCLUSIONS: In subjects with pancreatic insufficiency, a low-energy liquid meal induces shorter fed motor pattern associated with accelerated gastric emptying and intestinal transit compared with healthy subjects. Because changes responded to enzyme treatment and could be reproduced by ileal nutrient perfusion, ileal delivery of malabsorbed chyme may be involved as a mechanism. (Gastroenterology 1997 May;112(5):1624-34)