Reversible Gastroparesis in Patients With Hypopituitary Disease

Gastroparesis Following Resection of a Fourth-Ventricle Ependymoma in a Child

BACKGROUND

Gastroparesis following resection of a fourth ventricle tumor has never been reported in the literature. We report a unique case of gastroparesis following resection of a fourth-ventricle ependymoma in a child.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 14-year-old boy had a 12-day history of headache, nausea, and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor in the fourth ventricle. He underwent a posterior median craniotomy, and total removal was achieved. Histologic analysis revealed an anaplastic ependymoma (World Health Organization grade III). Three days after surgery, the patient complained of upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed dilatation of the stomach. Gastroscopy revealed moderate gastritis without gastric outlet obstruction. Nine days after surgery, a jejunal feeding tube (J-tube) was placed for nutritional support. Once the patient improved his oral intake and demonstrated that he could keep up with his nutritional requirements, the J-tube was discontinued 19 days after surgery. The patient had no neurologic or gastrointestinal complaints at the 2-month follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

We report, to our knowledge, the first case of gastroparesis following resection of a fourth-ventricle ependymoma in a child. Gastroparesis can recover spontaneously, which we suspect may be due to reversible injury of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus.

Gastrointestinal hormonal dysfunction in gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia

BACKGROUND

Numerous hormones secreted by the gut, during both the fasted state and in response to a meal, influence gastrointestinal motor and/or sensory function, and appear to contribute to the pathogenesis of delayed gastric emptying associated with gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia (FD) and feed intolerance in critical illness. Gut hormones are, accordingly, potential targets for the management of these patients.

PURPOSE

This article will discuss the hypersensitivity to enteral fat and endogenous (nutrient-stimulated) and exogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) in patients with FD, and the elevation in both fasting and postprandial CCK levels evident in this group. It will review the use of pharmacological agonists of motilin and ghrelin, which accelerate gastric emptying, in the management of gastroparesis and FD. The frequent finding of markedly delayed gastric emptying in the critically ill will be examined; this is associated with elevated plasma CCK and peptide YY in both the fasted and postprandial states, which may account for the increase in small intestinal nutrient inhibitory feedback on gastric motility in this group. The concepts that the rate of gastric emptying is a major determinant of postprandial glycemic excursions in diabetes, and that modulation of gastric emptying may improve glycemic control, will be addressed; in type 1 and insulin-treated type 2 diabetic patients, co-ordination of insulin administration with nutrient delivery and absorption should be optimized, while type 2 patients who are not on insulin are likely to respond to dietary and/or pharmacological interventions which slow gastric emptying.

Acute Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction

Acute pseudo-obstruction may manifest clinically in one of three forms--acute gastroparesis, ileus, and acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome). Though formerly associated primarily with the postoperative state, these entities are increasingly recognized in association with a wide variety of major medical problems. There are few controlled studies to guide the clinician in the management of these disorders. Treatment remains largely empirical, and time-honored, based primarily on "bowel rest," nasogastric decompression, and supportive care. While a wide variety of pharmacologic approaches have been advocated, few have been subjected to, or survived, the rigors of a properly controlled trial. Neostigmine is a notable exception, and has been shown to be effective in Ogilvie's syndrome. Perforation is a significant threat in megacolon; colonoscopic, or surgical decompression may, therefore, be indicated. Both are associated with significant risks in this context, but may prevent progression to perforation with its attendant mortality. New approaches seek to exploit current concepts in the pathophysiology of ileus and megacolon but have not, as yet, achieved efficacy in human studies.

Preoperative hyponatremia as a clinical characteristic in elderly patients with large pituitary tumor

This study investigated the pathophysiology of preoperative hyponatremia in elderly patients with a large pituitary tumor. The tumor size, initial symptoms, and preoperative pituitary hormonal function were analyzed in 96 patients, consisting of 82 younger than 70 years old (mean age 49.7 years) and 14 older than 70 years old (mean age 72.0 years). There was no difference in tumor size between the two age groups. The initial symptom of all younger patients was visual disturbance. Preoperative hormonal evaluations revealed subclinical panhypopituitarism in four patients (4.9%). Five of the 14 older patients had severe hyponatremia (107-117 mEq/l) based on panhypopituitarism, and four of these five patients showed consciousness disturbance as the initial symptom, initiated by physical and/or psychological stress, or occurrence of intratumoral hemorrhage. Preoperative subclinical panhypopituitarism was found in another patient. The overall occurrence rate of preoperative panhypopituitarism in the older patients was 42.9%. The difference in the frequency of preoperative panhypopituitarism was statistically significant between the two groups. Preoperative severe hyponatremia associated with a large pituitary tumor is characteristic of elderly patients. The number of receptors for adrenocorticotropic hormone in the adrenal cortex decreases during the aging process. Additional physical and/or psychological stress prompts pituitary dysfunction in such patients, causing the manifestation of acute symptoms of adrenal insufficiency based on panhypopituitarism. Primary care using high dose hydrocortisone and electrolyte fluid is critical.