Effects of Direct-interrupting Surgery on Gastric Mucosal Congestion in Patients with Esophageal Varices

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of direct-interrupting surgery on gastric mucosal congestion in patients with esophageal varices. Fifteen such patients underwent endoscopy in the preoperative, early postoperative and late postoperative periods. The index of local blood volume (lHb) and that of oxygen saturation (1802) were endoscopically measured using a tissue reflectance spectrophotometer at the antrum, the angle, and the corpus of the stomach. The congestion index (CI) was calculated by dividing IHb by 1802. At the antrum and the angle, none of the mean values of IHb, 1802, CI, or the incidence of mucosal redness changed significantly. At the corpus, the mean values of IHb and CI in the early postoperative period were significantly lower than those in the preoperative period (p < 0.01 and p<0.05, respectively), but those in the late postoperative period showed no significant differences from preoperative and early postoperative values. Also at the corpus, the mean value of 1802 and the incidence of mucosal redness showed no significant change in the early and late postoperative periods. These results suggest that gastric mucosal congestion of the corpus of the stomach in patients with esophageal varices can be relieved in the early postoperative period although it may recur in the late postoperative period.