No abstract

In a prospective, randomized study, 691 patients with duodenal (DU), pyioric (PU), or prepyloric (PPU) ulcers have been followed for 2-5 years after operation with parietal cell vagotomy (PCV) or selective gastric vagotomy with drainage (SGV + D). About half the patients have been followed for 5 years. Cumulative 5-year recurrence rates, calculated by a life table method, suggest a higher recurrence rate for patients with DU when operated with PCV (15%) than when operated with SGV + D (9%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Patients with PU/PPU had higher recurrence rates following either procedure than patients with DU (PCV: 33%; SGV + D: 14%).A study of the change in recurrence risk as a function of time after operation suggests that the recurrence rate following SGV + D when used for DU will continue to rise after 5 years, but probably very slowly. The recurrence rate after 5 years is unpredictable, however, for PCV when used for DU, and unpredictable for both methods when used for PU/PPU.The recurrence rate was found to be independent of the level of preoperative gastric acid secretion, and this was true for both PCV and SGV + D. An increased recurrence rate was, on the other hand, found to be associated with < 50% postoperative reduction in pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion.

No abstract

In Leeds and Copenhagen 271 patients were treated electively for duodenal ulcer by parietal cell vagotomy without drainage between 1969 and 1972 inclusive, with no operative deaths. 108 patients have been followed up 2-4 years since operation. Gastric stasis necessitating re-operation occurred in only 2 cases. Gastric ulcer developed in 2 cases, and in 3 cases recurrence of the duodenal ulcer was suspected but was unconfirmed at re-operation. Uncontrolled comparison with the results of partial gastrectomy and of vagotomy with drainage, as performed at these two centers, has shown that after parietal cell vagotomy without drainage there is a much lower incidence of dumping, diarrhea and bile vomiting, and, on overall assessment, a greater proportion of perfect or very good results.