TRANSTHORACIC VAGOTOMY

Abstract

Interest in vagotomy as a surgical treatment for peptic ulcer has been revived during the last four years. Reports by Dragstedt and his associates,¹ by our group² and by Moore and his associates³ have dealt primarily with physiologic changes. Brief clinical reports have described encouraging therapeutic results. It has been emphasized that distressing complications may occur and that final conclusions are not warranted until more patients are observed for a longer time. Nevertheless, clinical trial is now widespread. Even though final conclusions are not possible it seems advisable that current observations be reported and that tentative impressions of clinical limitations and of the significance of complications be presented. Detailed reports of physiologic, roentgenologic and chemical studies will be abstracted in this report and later presented in detail by individual authors. Fifty-seven patients with refractory or frequently recurring peptic ulcer were treated by transthoracic vagotomy or transthoracic vagotomy