Abstract
We examined gastrointestinal function of cervical cord injuried patients in order to evaluate and treat gastrointestinal complications. We investigated gastrointestinal function by gastric secretion, gastric emptying and endoscopic examinations.
The subjects were 11 young cervical cord injuried males. They were compared with healthy controls which were classified into 3 groupes (normal, gastric and duodenal ulcers) by endoscopic diagnosis.
We used gastric secretion test standardized by Japanese Society of Gastroenterology, which stimulates patients with 4mcg/kg tetragastrin.
We used gastric emptying test published by Heading, which count post oral administrated serum acetoaminophen density especially 45 minutes later.
Gastric secretions of patients (MAO=20.6±6.7mEq/h) exceeded than normal controls (12.0±4.4mEq/h) and gastric ulcer controls (10.8±6.8mEq/h).
Gastric emptying of patients (45min=7.6±2.4mcg/l) delayed than doudenal ulcer controls (11.3±3.4mcg/l) and normal controls (9.4±2.6mcg/l).
These results showed that gasrointestinal function of cervical cord injuried patients differed from healthy control groupes.
Acute gastric mucosal lesions were found in 7 patients, but no duodenal lesions were seen, so we speculated that increased gastric mucosal lesion was influenced by exceeded gastric secretion and delayed gastric emptying.
