Curriculum · Gastroenterology
Dumping syndrome after gastrectomy
What it is
Dumping syndrome is a complication of gastrectomy. It occurs due to rapid transition and absorption of food from the stomach to the intestine: after the operation, rapid emptying of hyperosmolar food into the small intestine is what starts it. Two forms are named, and the time from the meal is what tells them apart. Early dumping syndrome occurs within 10 to 30 minutes following a meal, and late dumping syndrome hours later.
Causes and risk
It follows gastrectomy. In one described case the operation was a Billroth II gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma, the postoperative course was uneventful, and the symptoms came at the routine postoperative visit after discharge. High-sugar meals often trigger it, which fits food reaching the small intestine too fast.