[Surgical anatomy of the vagus nerves in the vagotomy aspect]

The surgical anatomy of vagus nerves was studied in 25 corpses and in protocols of operations-vagotomies in patients with ulcer disease of the duodenum. The authors consider incomplete vagotomy to be responsible for insufficiently decreased secretion of hydrochloric acid after operation in 24 (23.1%) of 104 patients examined. It was found that both the right and the left vagus nerves had different numbers of trunks and branches. The knowledge of variants of branching and disposition of the vagus nerve branches decreases the risk of incomplete and inadequate vagotomy.