Some Observations Upon Selective Gastric Vagotomy

Abstract

The feasibility of selectively denervating the stomach during vagotomy * with preservation of the hepatic and celiac branches became patently clear to us for the first time during a casual visit with Mr. Harold Burge, of London, England, in 1960. Although we were by no means dissatisfied with the results of total vagotomy nor impressed with the significance of undesirable sequelae, presumably due to denervation of the biliary duct system, pancreas, and small intestine, a clinical study of the comparative effects of selective and total vagotomy was begun at this time. A preliminary series of 100 consecutive patients who had been totally vagotomized for more than two years were carefully studied to determine if any alteration in bowel habit could be attributed to vagal denervation. We were surprised to find, upon careful questioning, that 28 patients admitted to a significant change in their bowel habits, only one, however, to any degree