Effect of Ulcer Surgery on Disaccharidase Activities of the Small Bowel and on Lactose Absorption

Abstract

In 14 patients with peptic ulcer, admitted to hospital for surgical treatment, the lactose tolerance test and a small-intestinal biopsy with disaccharidase (maltase, sucrase, lactase) assays were performed before and 1 month and 6 months after operation. In 10 patients without evident organic disease of the gastrointestinum, the small-intestinal biopsy with disaccharidase assays was repeated at an average interval of 1 week, and these form the control group. The mean maltase, sucrase and lactase activities in the 1 and 6-month follow-up studies were increased over the preoperative values. When the changes were compared with the alterations noted in the control group, no statistically significant difference could be noted. In 3 patients with small-intestinal lactase deficiency the symptoms following lactose tolerance test became worse in one and a history of milk intolerance appeared in one after ulcer surgery.

Key-words:

• Disaccharidase activities
• lactose absorption
• peptic ulcer
• ulcer surgery