Parietal cell vagotomy: 10-15 years' results

In the Department of Surgery, University Central Hospital of Turku, 197 patients underwent parietal cell vagotomy (PCV) for duodenal or pyloric-prepyloric ulcer in the years 1973-79. During follow-up for 10-15 years, 14 patients had died (none related to ulcer disease) and nine were lost to follow-up leaving 174 patients for the study. There were 21 proven recurrences of ulcer (12%), 16 after original duodenal ulcer (10%) and five after pyloric or prepyloric ulcer (26%). Late symptoms occurred as follows: Dyspepsia 19%, heartburn 17%, oesophageal reflux 16%, vomiting 7%, epigastric fullness 12%, dumping 8% and diarrhoea 7%. One patient underwent Nissen fundoplication for severe heartburn and mild oesophagitis without improvement. According to the Visick classification the overall result was excellent or good in 68%; the failure rate was 18%.--

PCV was satisfactory when used for duodenal ulcer, but after pyloric or prepyloric ulcer the recurrence rate was probably too high to be acceptable.