Effects of mosapride citrate on patients after vagal nerve, lower esophageal sphincter, and pyloric sphincter-preserving nearly total gastrectomy reconstructed by jejunal J pouch interposition, and postoperative quality of life.

Background/aims: Vagal nerve and pylorus-preserving nearly total gastrectomy reconstructed by interposition of a jejunal J pouch (hereinafter called NTGP) is a function-preserving operation for early gastric cancer. However, some patients after NTGP have suffered from postprandial food stasis in the substitute stomach, and postprandial stasis leads to abdominal symptoms. To clarify the clinical effect of mosapride citrate (hereinafter called MS) for prevention of food stasis in the substitute stomach for patients after NTGP, we studied the clinical effects of MS before and after administration of MS.

Methodology: In a total of 24 patients (18 males, 6 females; aged 44-70 years, average 58.1 years) during 5 years after NTGP for early gastric cancer (D1 lymph node dissection, curability A), the relationship between their postoperative quality of life (QOL) and emptying function of the substitute stomach (hereinafter called EFS) was compared using a radioisotope method before MS therapy and after MS therapy at an oral dose of 15mg/day for 3 months.

Results: The interviews showd that after MS therapy, patients had more evident appetite and ate more food with a slight increase in body weight (0.52Kg) compared with patients before MS therapy. Before and after MS therapy, patients had no early dumping symtoms, while patients after MS therapy clearly had fewer symptoms such as reflux esophagitis, nausea, and abdominal pain compared with before MS therapy. After MS therapy, patients also had significantly decreased abdominal fullness compared with before MS therapy (p = 0.0046). Endoscopically, we found reflux esophagitis in 4 patients before MS therapy but in no patients after MS therapy. All patients before MS therapy showed residual contents in the substitute stomach, but only 10 patients after MS therapy showed residual contents in the substitute stomach. There was a significant difference between before and after MS therapy (p = 0.0016). Regarding EFS, the time to 50% residual rate before MS therapy (98.7 +/- 13.0 min) was significantly slower than that after MS therapy (83.2 +/- 13.8 min) (p = 0.0134). After MS therapy (37.0 +/- 4.9%), the residual rates at 120 minutes were significantly decreased compared with patients before MS therapy (44.8 +/- 5.3%) (p = 0.0028). Patients after MS therapy clearly had improved stasis of substitute stomach compared with before MS therapy.

Conclusions: It was considered that MS therapy subsequently improves abdominal fullness due to the postprandial food stasis in the substitute stomach, contributing to the improvement of QOL of patients after NTGP.