Dumping syndrome is most likely to develop after which surgery?

• A. Partial or total gastrectomy
• B. Appendectomy
• C. Cholecystectomy
• D. Colectomy

Answer: (A)

Dumping syndrome happens when food moves too quickly from the stomach into the small intestine, especially when the stomach’s reservoir and its pyloric control are lost or bypassed. After a partial or total gastrectomy, the stomach can no longer hold and regulate the entry of contents, so a meal rapidly enters the small intestine. This rapid delivery pulls fluid into the intestinal lumen and triggers the classic early symptoms (nausea, cramping, diarrhea, flushing, and rapid heart rate). Some people then experience late dumping from a surge of insulin after rapid glucose absorption, leading to hypoglycemia a couple of hours after eating. Surgeries that remove or bypass the stomach, like gastrectomy, create this situation, whereas appendectomy, cholecystectomy, or colectomy do not involve the stomach in a way that typically causes dumping syndrome.