Treatment Modalities and the Role of Endoscopy for Delayed Gastric Emptying After Whipple Operation: Analysis of 53 Patients

BACKGROUND

Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is one of the most common complications after Whipple surgery. This situation delays postoperative oral food intake and prolongs hospitalization. Postoperative DGE often develops due to complications such as intra-abdominal abscess, collections, and anastomosis leaks, and these are called secondary DGE. The pathogenesis of primary DGE is still unknown, and there are insufficient data in the literature about the treatment. In this study, patients undergoing Whipple operation were examined separately as primary and secondary DGE. We discussed the causes and treatments of these patients, and also we aimed to present the therapeutic effect of endoscopy for primary DGE after the Whipple procedure.

METHODS

From March 2014 to March 2018, data of 262 patients who underwent the Whipple procedure were collected prospectively. We observed that postoperative DGE developed in 53 (21.7%) patients. We retrospectively divided the patients by etiology into 2 groups as primary and secondary and graded DGE according to the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery. We defined patients who did not have secondary causes such as intra-abdominal abscess as primary DGE. Appropriate interventional procedures were performed for patients with secondary causes. We performed endoscopic intervention with therapeutic intent for patients who had primary DGE.

RESULTS

The overall rate of DGE was 21.7% (n = 53) among 262 patients undergoing the Whipple procedure. It was observed that in 31 (58.5%) of these 53 patients, DGE was developed due to secondary causes. Interventional procedures were performed to these patients when necessary. A total of 22 (41.5%) patients developed primary DGE. Of these, 9 patients were grade A, 7 were grade B, and 6 were grade C. The mean duration of hospitalization for secondary DGE and primary DGE was 20.36 and 28.7 days, respectively. After endoscopic intervention with therapeutic intent to primary DGE patients, we observed that patients tolerated solid meal after 12 hours in grade B and after 26 hours in grade C patients.

CONCLUSION

Delayed gastric emptying, which is a common complication after Whipple operation and which deteriorates the quality of life and prolongs the duration of hospital stay, should be treated according to the cause. In secondary DGE, treatment modalities must be focused on intra-abdominal causes such as hematoma, collection, and abcess. We suggest that the primary DGE which is unresponsive to medical treatments could be treated endoscopically. After endoscopic intervention, patients with primary DGE can be started oral intake on the same day and discharged more quickly.

Regional differences in healthcare delivery for gastroparesis

AIM

Few studies have examined the effects of various interventions in gastroparesis. The goal of the present study was to determine whether inpatient management and outcomes differed among states across the United States.

METHODS

Using population statistics and the State Inpatient Database (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), regional differences in admissions for gastroparesis, inpatient mortality, length of stay, nursing home transfers, and rates of endoscopy, gastrostomy placement, and nutritional support were assessed.

RESULTS

Admissions for gastroparesis ranged from 24.3 ± 0.8/100,000 in Utah to 117.1 ± 9.7/100,000 in Maryland, with mortality rates similarly varying fourfold from 0.5 ± 0.1/100,000 in Colorado to 2.3 ± 0.1/100,000 in Florida. Intervention rates differed between states (endoscopy: 6.8 ± 0.8 % in Wyoming versus 23.1 ± 0.4 % in Florida; gastrostomy: 0.8 ± 0.1 % in North Carolina versus 3.3 ± 0.8 % in Hawaii; nutritional support: 1.2 ± 0.2 % in West Virginia versus 7.0 ± 0.6 % in New Jersey). Admissions rates were independently predicted by high overall hospitalizations within a state. Higher population density, median incomes and admissions to for-profit hospitals correlated with endoscopy rates. Coexisting heart failure and male gender were associated with higher likelihood of gastrostomy placement, while initiation of nutritional support was predicted by physician supply and insurance status. Age cohort, Medicare coverage, poverty rates and endoscopic testing independently predicted mortality, while length of stay correlated with diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a significant variability in admissions, interventions and outcomes for gastroparesis. While biological factors, such as comorbidities and age, contribute to this variability, the data suggest that socioeconomic variables significantly affect approaches to gastroparesis treatment in the United States.

Nutrition aspects of gastroparesis and therapies for drug-refractory patients

Gastroparesis, broadly defined as disordered gastric emptying, is a commonly encountered clinical problem. Nutrition problems frequently occur in gastroparesis, primarily due to inadequate oral intake but also due to losses from vomiting or diarrhea. Treatment of gastroparesis may include dietary modification with or without medication. Some patients require supplementation with either enteral or parenteral nutrition for survival. However, many patients with gastroparesis are drug-refractory and invariably do not do well with enteral or parenteral access. Historically, these patients have been without effective therapeutic options. The development of gastrointestinal electrical stimulation has allowed many with drug-refractory gastroparesis to be treated successfully. Enteric electrical stimulation for gastroparesis often corrects many of the nutrition abnormalities, along with improving symptoms and quality of life and reducing costs; for some categories of patients, it may improve survival rates.

Natural history of diabetic gastroparesis

OBJECTIVE

The major aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of diabetic gastroparesis.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Between 1984 and 1989, 86 outpatients with diabetes (66 type 1, 20 type 2; 40 male, 46 female) underwent assessment of solid and liquid gastric emptying and esophageal transit (by scintigraphy), gastrointestinal symptoms (by questionnaire), autonomic nerve function (by cardiovascular reflex tests), and glycemic control (by HbAlc and blood glucose concentrations during gastric emptying measurement). These patients were followed up in 1998.

RESULTS

Of the 86 patients, solid gastric emptying (percentage of retention at 100 min) was delayed in 48 (56%) patients and liquid emptying (50% emptying time) was delayed in 24 (28%) patients. At follow-up in 1998, 62 patients were known to be alive, 21 had died, and 3 were lost to follow-up. In the group who had died, duration of diabetes (P = 0.048), score for autonomic neuropathy (P = 0.046), and esophageal transit (P = 0.032) were greater than in those patients who were alive, but there were no differences in gastric emptying between the two groups. Of the 83 patients who could be followed up, 32 of the 45 patients (71%) with delayed solid emptying and 18 of the 24 patients (75%) with delay in liquid emptying were alive. After adjustment for the effects of other factors that showed a relationship with the risk of dying, there was no significant relationship between either gastric emptying or esophageal transit and death.

CONCLUSIONS

In this relatively large cohort of outpatients with diabetes, there was no evidence that gastroparesis was associated with a poor prognosis.