The Effect of Intragastric Neutralization on the Gastric Acid Response to Antral Distension in Man

Abstract

Bergegårdh, S., Knutson, U. & Olbe, L. The effect of intragastric neutraliza-tion on the gastric acid response to antral distension in man. Scand. J. Gastroent. 1975, 10, 625-631.

The gastric acid secretion in response to graded antral distension was de-termined in healthy subjects and in peptic ulcer patients with water perfusion or alkaline buffer perfusion of the stomach, giving an intragastric pH of 1.8-3.0 and 6.2-8.3 respectively. Intragastric neutralization increased the basal acid secretion in healthy subjects and gastric ulcer patients but did not change the basal acid secretion in duodenal ulcer patients. Distension of the antrum produced the same secretory effect with and without intragastric neutralization: no increased acid response in healthy subjects, a slight acid response in patients with a quiescent duodenal ulcer or a gastric ulcer, and a more pronounced acid response in patients with an active ulcer, amounting to about 30 % of the peak acid response to pentagastrin. The results show that: a) the peptic ulcer patients - and particularly patients with an active duodenal ulcer - are more sensitive to the acid secretory effect of antral distension than healthy subjects; b) increasing the intragastric pH above 2.0 does not enhance the acid response to antral distension; c) the acid secretory effect of antral distension is markedly less in man than the effect observed in the dog.

Key-words::

• Gastric acidity determination
• gastrin
• peptic ulcer
• pyloric antrum
• stomach diseases