Weight loss, chronic diarrhea and fat malabsorption are frequent after total gastrectomy. The aim of this work was to study parameters of intestinal absorption and the histology of jejunal mucosa in 26 patients subjected, at least one year ago, to total gastrectomy and without evidences of tumoral relapse. There was a mean weight loss of 9 kg (range 4 to 20) and 46% of patients had intermittent or episodical diarrhea. Hemoglobin was below 12 g/dl in 4 patients, serum albumin was below 3.5 g/dl in 3, serum carotene was below 40 micrograms/dl in 5 and serum iron was below 80 micrograms/dl in 5. Jejunal biopsies were normal and steatocrit was abnormal in all patients. Present findings suggest that fat malabsorption in these patients is intraluminal and due to an unequal mix of pancreatic and biliary secretions, as a consequence of Y en Roux transit reconstruction.