Studies of Gastrointestinal Interactions

Abstract

Lagerlöf, H. O., Johansson, C. & Ekelund, K. Studies of gastrointestinal interactions. VI. Intestinal flow, mean transit time, and mixing after composite meals in man. Scand. J. Gastroent. 1974, 9, 261-270.

The postprandial flow in the jejunum was investigated with a multiple indicator dilution technique, by which the changes in transit times of the intestinal contents were considered. Two composite meals, which differed in their glucose content, were fed to 7 healthy subjects on different occasions. Despite a pronounced lower gastric emptying rate of the meal containing glucose, the flow volumes in jejunum were similar after the meals, owing to a dilution of the hypertonic meal during intestinal transit. A flow volume of about 500 ml had passed at the investigated jejunal level after 3 hours. Flow rates of about 2 ml per minute persisted after 2 hours. The transit times of the intestinal contents did not differ significantly between the meals, irrespective of the differences in gastric emptying rates. The mean transit time increased during the first hour after ingestion, and undulated thereafter between 20 to 40 minutes in the individual experiments. Based on the assumption of a constant velocity of the indicator particles, the transit of the indicator through the entire intestine could be estimated, as could the distribution of test meal marker in consecutive segments of the intestine.

Key-words::

• Chyme
• gastrointestinal motility
• indicator dilution technique, intestinal absorption
• intestinal motility
• intestinal secretion
• intubation gastrointestinal