Safety and efficacy of Dai-kenchu-to in postoperative infants with gastroschisis

Abstract

Purpose: Intestinal dysfunction is a major problem after gastroschisis repair, and causes poor oral intake and poor body weight gain in infants with gastroschisis. Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) is often used in the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction in Japan. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of DKT on infants with uncomplicated gastroschisis. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study from 1991 to 2009, we assessed 16 infants with uncomplicated gastroschisis. Eight infants received 0.3 g/kg/day of DKT for 12 months (group 1) and 8 infants did not receive DKT (group 2). We analyzed their body weight as an indicator of the effect of DKT. Results: There were no significant differences in the background characteristics. The body weight of group 1 was significantly increased at the ages of 9 months (p = 0.0348) and 12 months (p = 0.0097), compared with group 2. Multivariate analyses revealed that only DKT administration had a significant impact on body weight gain at the ages of 9 months (p = 0.0201) and 12 months (p = 0.0111). No side effects related to DKT were reported. Conclusion: DKT administration might worksafely and effectively for improvingthe body weight gain in infants with uncomplicated gastroschisis.