The choice of operation in the surgical treatment of chronic duodenal ulcer remains a controversial subject. Partial gastrectomy is now performed less frequently, as surgeons are increasingly attracted to the advantages of vagotomy, which effects a substantial reduction of gastric-acid secretion in most cases. Recurrent ulceration appears to be more common after vagotomy than after partial gastrectomy, but this disadvantage of vagotomy is balanced and possibly outweighed by the higher post-operative mortality rate after partial gastrectomy. The major criticism of partial gastrectomy is that it leads to an unacceptably high incidence of late complications, which include alimentary symptoms such as postprandial abdominal discomfort, dumping, and vomiting, and also impaired nutrition manifested by loss of weight, anaemia, and more rarely osteomalacia. Although agreement is not complete, many publications support the contention that untoward alimentary symptoms are comparatively infrequent after vagotomy. However, there is remarkably little information in the literature to substantiate the view that impaired nutrition is rare after vagotomy. In order to provide data relevant to this latter problem, this paper reports the results of a study of patients after vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy for chronic duodenal ulcer.Vagotomy has been extensively used in Sheffield since 1958, and the interval between operation and the present review varied between 37 and 57 months in the patients studied; we have therefore considered the results as representing a post-operative investigation at approximately four years. A gastric drainage procedure must be performed simultaneously with vagotomy, which by itself causes a high proportion of symptoms due to delayed gastric emptying. Gastrojejunostomy was combined with vagotomy in the present series, and the patients having pyloroplasty in the period under consideration have not been included as they were too few to merit detailed investigation. The study was designed to give as much information as possible without requiring more co-operation than could reasonably be expected from our patients. The tests were therefore restricted to peripheral blood examination, estimation of serum-iron and serum-vitamin-B12 levels, and measurement of vitamin-B1, absorption and faecal fat excretion. In addition, the patients were asked about alimentary symptoms and weight changes before and after operation. Insulin tests to confirm completeness of vagotomy were not performed in all patients, but a recent study from this department suggests that vagal-nerve section was achieved in approximately 90% of patients (Ross and Kay, 1964
Clinical MaterialFrom a consecutive series of 120 patients with chronic duodenal ulcer treated by vagotomy and posterior gastrojejunostomy approximately four years previously, 25 were excluded because of death (5), reoperation (7), failure to attend (7), and distance from Sheffield (6). The 95 patients remaining for detailed investigation were 75 males and 20 females. Some were un...