Untitled research work

Success of a surgical operation largely depends on the pre-and post-operative nuturition control. The tube feeding has several advantages over other methods such as postoperativeperipheral venous infusion or intravenous hyperalimentation. On the other hand, tube feedingis not free of side effects. The most serious of the side effects is diarrhea. On the assumptionthat diarrhea resulting from tube feeding is caused by lactose intolerance, which is foundamong a considerable proportion of the Japanese people, the author has made a detailed studyon the following points in the postoperative cases of the upper GI tract disorders:(1) The proportion of milk intolerance.(2) Lactose tolerance test.(3) Measurement of disaccharidase in the mucosa of the small intestine.(4) The clinical effect of lactase preparation.The results are as follows:(1) Average ratio of the disaccharidases in the mucosa of the intestine was:Lactase1: Sucrase: Maltase=1:11.7:52.8The ratio of lastase 1 is one fifth to one sixth of that found in the Westerners.(2) In the present study, a'lactose intolerance case'refers to a subject who had less than20mg/dl in the 25g lactose tolerance test or less than 10u/g prot. in lactase 1 activity value.(3) When lactase preparation was administered, the incidence of side effects resulting fromtube feeding the liquid diet containing lactose was6%, in contradistinction to the incidence of70. 6% which would have otherwise occured.(4) More than 1g of lactase preparation was required for each 5g of lactose for patientshaving milk intolerance. Usually, however, 1g of lactase preparation was sufficient for each7to 8g of lactose.