[Status of the protective gastric mucosal barrier in patients with alimentary-constitutional obesity before and after creating a "small stomach"].

The authors examined 131 patients with degree III-IV alimentary-constitutional obesity before and after operation for formation of a "small stomach". The average body weight of the patients before surgery was 145 +/- 2.28 kg. In the first 12 postoperative months it reduced by 41.9 +/- 1.76 kg as compared to the initial weight. Diminution of body weight in the second year was statistically insignificant. All patients underwent endoscopy of the esophagus and stomach before and after the operation with appraisal of the degree of macroscopic changes of the mucous membrane. The incidence of chronic gastritis and esophagitis reduced in the postoperative late-term periods more than 1.5 times, that of erosive lesions more than 10 times. Targent measurement of the transmural potential difference (TPD) of the esophagus and stomach was conducted in 36 patients. The TPD value is much less in patients with obesity than in the control group of healthy individuals. After operation the TPD value grows significantly which is due to changes of the diet regimen, reduced amount of the ingested food, reduction of body weight, and improved processes of microcirculation in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.