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Effect of Rikkunshito, a Chinese Herbal Medicine, on Stasis in Patients After Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy

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Abstract

Background

Distal gastrectomy (DG) and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) have been employed for gastric cancer, with PPG having been reported to be superior to DG in regard to postoperative quality of life. Some patients with these operations still suffer from gastric stasis, however. In this study, we aimed to examine the clinical effects of rikkunshito on patients who were to undergo PPG.

Methods

A total of 11 patients who were scheduled to undergo PPG for early gastric cancer at the Osaka University Hospital were enrolled. The patients were randomly assigned to the crossover study with and without rikkunshito 7.5 g/day. Questionnaires and emptying tests using 111In-labeled liquid scintigraphy and 99mTc-labeled solid scintigraphy were performed at the end of each treatment period.

Results

Stasis-related symptoms were significantly reduced during rikkunshito treatment (p = 0.043). The emptying test showed that rikkunshito improved emptying of solid meals (p = 0.0003) from the remnant stomach but did not accelerate gastric empting of liquid meals.

Conclusions

Rikkunshito improved gastric emptying and ameliorated postoperative symptoms of patients who had undergone a PPG.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science Technology of Japan and in part by the research fund of the Institute of Kampo Medicine (Japan).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Shunji Endo, Kiyokazu Nakajima, Yoshihito Souma & Toshirou Nishida

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  1. Tsuyoshi Takahashi
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  2. Shunji Endo
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  3. Kiyokazu Nakajima
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  4. Yoshihito Souma
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  5. Toshirou Nishida
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Correspondence to Toshirou Nishida.

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Takahashi, T., Endo, S., Nakajima, K. et al. Effect of Rikkunshito, a Chinese Herbal Medicine, on Stasis in Patients After Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy. World J Surg 33, 296–302 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-008-9854-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-008-9854-8

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