Highly selective vagotomy without a drainage procedure in the treatment of duodenal ulcer

Abstract

A consecutive series of 25 patients with chronic duodenal ulcer has been treated by highly selective vagotomy without a drainage procedure. The vagal fibres passing to the distal 5–7 cm. of the stomach—the nerves of Latarjet—were left intact, as were the hepatic and coeliac branches of the vagus. The object was to denervate only the parietal cell mass, while preserving normal gastric emptying and normal inhibition of gastric secretion from the antrum and duodenum. This operation should cure the ulcer as effectively as vagotomy with drainage does, and at lower cost in terms of side-effects such as dumping and diarrhoea. The insulin test was negative in each case, suggesting that vagal denervation of the parietal cell mass was complete. Evidence provided by mucosal biopsies taken at operation does not fully support this view, however. Pentagastrin-stimulated acid output was reduced by 70 per cent, and pepsin output by 51 per cent, 3 months after operation. The volume of resting juice was halved and spontaneous acid output was reduced by 97 per cent at this time. Thus, highly selective vagotomy is as effective as truncal or bilateral selective vagotomy with drainage in reducing gastric acid output in the early months after operation. There have been no deaths. With 2 exceptions, the patients appear to be doing well clinically and few complain of side-effects, but the period of follow-up is only from 3 to 11 months. These results are encouraging. They suggest that a highly selective vagotomy, denervating the parietal cell mass but leaving the antrum innervated, may be all that is required to cure most patients who have a chronic duodenal ulcer.