Recurrence after proximal gastric vagotomy for gastric, pyloric, and prepyloric ulcers.

Abstract

AbstractResults after proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) with ulcer excision for gastric ulcer type I (according to Johnson) show recurrence rates similar to those for duodenal ulcer. In the European Multicenter Trial with 71 patients, symptomatic recurrence was 7.9% at 5 years and the total recurrence (including asymptomatic recurrences) was 17.5%. Recurrent ulcers are mainly gastric ulcers. Treatment of recurrence is, initially, always conservative with antacids or H2‐receptor blockers. From 19 patients with recurrent ulcer after PGV with ulcer excision for gastric ulcer type I reported from 3 prospective trials, 12 were managed conservatively. The operative procedure of choice for recurrence was partial gastric resection with a Billroth I or Billroth II reconstruction. Favorable results for this type of gastric ulcer after PGV may be explained by maintenance of gastric continence for solids, reduction of duodenogastric reflux and of postoperative gastritis. Preoperatively and intraoperatively, malignancy has to be excluded by multiple biopsies and frozen sections. Combined gastric and duodenal ulcers (gastric ulcer type II) may also be treated by PGV in controlled trials so that more data will be available for that rare type of ulcer. Recurrence rates after PGV for pyloric and prepyloric ulcers (gastric ulcer type III) are significantly higher than those for gastric ulcer type I or duodenal ulcers. After 5 years, recurrence rates of 16.4–35% are reported. This may be due to gastric retention, which is a common feature in patients with prepyloric ulcers. In fact, selective gastric vagotomy and drainage or vagotomy and antrectomy give significantly better results. The operation rate for recurrent ulcers after pyloric and prepyloric ulcers following PGV is about 25% because of pyloric stenosis. It is concluded that PGV and ulcer excision seem to be suitable for gastric ulcer type I and probably for type II. Pyloric and prepyloric ulcers should no longer be treated by PGV alone because of high recurrence rates. A drainage procedure should be added. In general, the operation should be performed by experienced surgeons since recurrence rates depend on the number of surgeons involved in clinical trials.