Selective gastric vagotomy.

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Vagotomy is now recognized as an effective procedure for the control of duodenal ulcer disease. The neurectomy contributes little to the risk of the operation, and whether combined with gastric drainage or antrectomy, the incidence of patient satisfaction is excellent.^1,2 Unfortunately vagus nerve interruption is associated with significant side-effects. Approximately one-third of these patients experience a postvagotomy syndrome characterized by intermittent diarrhea and abdominal distention. Usually the symptoms are mild and not volunteered, requiring direct queries to elicit their presence. On occasion however, their severity leaves the patient dissatisfied with the over-all result of the operation. In 1948 Jackson described to this association a modification of the vagotomy operation specifically conceived to avoid these undesirable sequelae. The increasing popularity of vagectomy as the operation of choice for intractable duodenal ulcer, coupled with the recognition of the frequency with which the postoperative syndrome is encountered, merits a reevaluation of