Richard O. Kraft

Vagotomy and the gastric ulcer

Abstract During the past ten years 156 patients with “benign” gastric ulcers were scheduled for vagotomy and pyloroplasty. Biopsy revealed unexpected carcinoma in six (4 per cent) of these patients, and gastrectomy resulted in a 50 per cent five year survival. Eighteen of the patients underwent pyloroplasty without vagotomy with five (22 per cent) prompt recurrences of ulcer. Operative mortality was 3 per cent in elective cases and 23 per cent when the operation was performed for massive hemorrhage in elderly patients. The operation failed to control the ulcer diathesis in six patients (5 per cent recurrence). Significant adverse sequelae rarely occurred (2 per cent). Vagotomy with pyloroplasty is considered a safe effective operation in the management of patients with benign gastric ulcer disease.