Relationship between Inter-Digestive Migrating Motor Complex and Quality of Life in Patients after Conventional Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

Background/Aims: To clarify the significance of duodenal interdigestive migrating complex (IMMC) in patients after conventional distal gastrectomy (CDG), we studied the relationships between IMMC and postoperative quality of life (QOL). Methodology: A total of 48 patients (32 males, 16 females; 39 to 68 years, mean, 57.4 years) at two years after CDG for gastric cancer (Billroth I, D2 lymph node dissection, curability A) were divided into two groups (IMMC-positive group; 34 patients, IMMC-negative group; 14 patients) according to the occurrence of IMMC from duodenum and their postoperative QOL was compared. Results: IMMC was only found from the duodenum, and not from the remnant stomach. 1) Patients in the IMMC-positive group had evidently more appetite and ate more food with less decrease in body weight compared with the IMMC-negative group; 2) Patients in the IMMC-positive group had clearly less symptoms such as early dumping symptoms, symptoms of reflux esophagitis, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, abdominal fullness, borborygmus and diarrhea compared with the negative group. Conclusions: The IMMC-positive group showed more satisfactory QOL compared with the negative group.