Gastropexy

      Any factor that can cause the diaphragm to descend, such as reduced diaphragmatic activity, reduced intraperitoneal pressure, weakened abdominal muscle contraction, and excessive relaxation of the gastric diaphragmatic ligament, gastric liver ligament, gastric spleen ligament, and gastric colon ligament, can lead to ptosis.

      Patients with long-standing gastroptosis often have symptoms such as dizziness, headache, insomnia, palpitations, and fatigue due to psychological and spiritual factors or factors such as anemia and emaciation. A few even show symptoms of depression. Severe cases accompanied by downward displacement of the liver, spleen, kidneys, and transverse colon are called visceral ptosis.

      Mildly downward displacement usually does not cause symptoms, while marked downward displacement can cause the following symptoms:

　　1. Abdominal distension and upper abdominal discomfort

　　Patients often report a feeling of fullness, weightiness, and pressure in the abdomen.

　　2. Abdominal pain

　　It is usually a persistent dull pain. It often occurs after meals and is related to the amount of food eaten. The larger the amount of food, the longer the pain duration, and the more severe the pain. At the same time, the pain is related to activity, and postprandial activities often worsen the pain.

　　3. Nausea and vomiting

　　It often occurs during postprandial activities, especially when eating too much. This is because a large amount of food enters at once, increasing the traction force on the gastric wall ligaments, causing pain, followed by nausea and vomiting.

　　4. Constipation

　　Constipation is often persistent and may be due to the downward displacement of the transverse colon, which causes a sharp angle between the liver flexure and the spleen flexure of the colon, resulting in slow passage.

　　5. Neurological and mental symptoms

　　Due to the long-term torment of various symptoms of gastroptosis, the patient's mental burden is heavy, leading to symptoms such as insomnia, headache, dizziness, dullness, and depression. There may also be symptoms such as hypotension, palpitations, and syncope when standing.

　　6. Physical examination: Visible slender body shape, the upper abdominal tenderness is not fixed due to changes in supine and standing positions. Sometimes, a thumping palpation method can be used, or a sound of water vibration below the navel can be heard when the patient rapidly changes positions. The aortic pulsation is easily palpable in the upper abdomen, and it is often accompanied by signs of downward displacement of the liver, kidneys, and sigmoid colon.

 　　Common measures to prevent gastroptosis include:

　　1. Small and frequent meals

　　Due to the weakened digestive function in gastroptosis patients, excessive food intake will inevitably cause indigestion as it will remain in the stomach. Therefore, the first requirement for dietary adjustment is to have small meals, but the number of meals can be increased, with 4-6 meals per day being appropriate.

　　2. Chew slowly

　　The reduced tension of the gastric wall in gastroptosis patients can be helped by masticating slowly to facilitate digestion and absorption, enhance peristalsis, and promote the emptying speed, thereby alleviating abdominal distension and discomfort.

　　3. Soft and delicate food

　　The food eaten should be soft, light, and easy to digest. The staple food should be soft rice, such as noodles should be well-cooked and soft; side dishes should be chopped and cooked, and raw vegetables should be eaten less. However, it should be noted that fish and meat should not be overcooked, as fish and meat are most tender and easy to digest when half-cooked, which places the least burden on the stomach.

　　4. Balanced nutrition

　　Most gastroptosis patients have weak physical strength and muscle strength, and poor digestion and absorption can easily lead to malnutrition of the body. Therefore, they feel more tired and listless than normal people. Therefore, patients should strive to achieve a balanced diet with a small amount of food and more meals, with a suitable proportion of sugar, fat, and protein. The fat proportion should be slightly lower.

　　5. Reduce stimulation

　　Strongly stimulating foods such as chili, ginger, excessive alcohol, coffee, cola, and strong tea can exacerbate heartburn and acid regurgitation in gastroptosis patients, affecting the improvement of the condition. Therefore, these foods should be eaten and drunk as little as possible and be limited. Drinking a small amount of fruit wine and light tea is beneficial to slow down the occurrence and development of gastroptosis.

　　6. Prevent constipation

　　Add more fruits and vegetables to daily meals, as they contain a lot of vitamins and fiber, especially the latter which can promote gastrointestinal motility, make stools soft and slippery, and prevent constipation. Drinking a cup of dilute salt water in the morning or a cup of honey sesame oil water before bedtime can help relieve and eliminate constipation.

　　7. Balance between activity and rest

　　Participating in physical exercise can help gastroptosis patients prevent the disease from progressing further, and can also enhance gastric tension, peristalsis, and improve symptoms due to increased physical strength and muscle strength.

　　In summary, it is important to develop good eating habits, eat at regular times and in appropriate amounts. For those who are thin, they should increase their nutrition. They should actively participate in physical exercise, such as walking, practicing qigong, and practicing Tai Chi. To prevent this disease, it is also necessary to maintain an optimistic mood. It is also possible to adopt simple and easy-to-learn physical fitness methods. If one has chronic digestive diseases, they should actively seek complete treatment to reduce the occurrence of the disease.

      The following examinations can help confirm the diagnosis:

　　1. Visible slender figure

　　The upper abdominal tenderness is not fixed due to changes in the supine and standing positions. Sometimes, percussion palpation can be used, or a rumbling sound under the navel can be heard when the patient rapidly changes positions. The aortic pulsation can be felt easily in the upper abdomen, often accompanied by signs of hyponasality of the liver, kidneys, and sigmoid colon.

　　2. X-ray examination

　　The barium meal X-ray of the gastrointestinal tract can be divided into three degrees according to the position of the lowest point of the gastric lesser curvature in the standing position and the line connecting the iliac crests on both sides:

　　(1) Mild: The lowest point of the gastric small curvature is located between 1.0-5.0cm below the iliac crest line;

　　(2) Moderate: The lowest point of the gastric small curvature is located between 5.0-10cm below the iliac crest line;

　　(3) Severe: The lowest point of the gastric small curvature is located 10cm above the iliac crest line.

　　3. Ultrasound examination after drinking water

　　After drinking water, it is known that the lower margin of the stomach moves into the pelvic cavity.

      Foods suitable for gastric prolapse patients to eat:

　　Increase dietary nutrition, eat more high-protein, high-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets with a nourishing effect. Eat more easily digestible foods.

　　Eat more warming and nourishing foods, such as jujube, almond, fresh lotus juice, mutton, dog meat, ginger, etc., which can warm up the stomach qi, regulate the cold qi of the spleen and stomach, and alleviate symptoms.

　　Regularly eat foods that are good for the stomach, such as cabbage, carrots, hedgehog mushrooms, yogurt, hawthorn, etc.

　　Eat more vitamin C-rich foods: Vitamin C has a protective effect on the stomach, maintaining a normal amount of vitamin C in the gastric juice can effectively exert the function of the stomach, protect the stomach, and enhance the stomach's ability to resist diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C.

　　Foods that are not suitable for gastric prolapse patients to eat:

　　Avoid overeating and eating less frequently to reduce the burden on the stomach. If you feel uncomfortable after eating, you can rest for a short time in a horizontal position. It is not advisable to engage in strenuous exercise after eating.

　　Avoid eating cold and spicy foods, smoking, and drinking. Avoid drinking a large amount of water and various beverages, and avoid eating too much food with a large volume.

　　Eat less indigestible food: Such as fried food. Because these foods are not easy to digest, they will increase the burden on the digestive tract, and eating too much will cause indigestion, and it will also increase blood lipids, which is not good for health.

　　Eat less salted food: These foods contain a lot of salt and some carcinogens, and should not be eaten in large quantities.

　　Abdominal discomfort, hidden pain, and indigestion can be treated according to chronic gastritis. For those with bloating and slow gastric emptying, metoclopramide or cimetidine can be administered. For those with constipation, mosapride tablets are the first choice. ATP treatment can be tried, with intramuscular injection half an hour before breakfast and lunch, 25 days as one course, and then the second course after an interval of 5 days. A gastric band may be placed if necessary.