Experience with the endoscopic test for completeness of vagotomy. Results of application in two medical centers

The need for a practicable and reliable test for completeness of vagotomy has been previously recognized. Until recently, all of the tests for completeness of vagotomy required cumbersome or delicate equipment or had deficiencies which prevented routine use. Recently we have modified the endoscopic Congo red test (ECRT) to allow more rapid and accurate performance; furthermore, we have found that the routine use of this test has affected the performance of proximal gastric vagotomy in our medical centers. At this time, we report the application of the ECRT in 41 patients at two medical centers, including patients from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Marburg. The SIMPLIFIED ECRT, which is completed in less than five minutes, avoids the 15-20 minute delay required with other tests for complete vagotomy; it is the only test for complete vagotomy which can be performed intra- and postoperatively. To our knowledge, the test has not been performed previously in Europe. The similarity of results following ECRT in both settings reinforces our view that intraoperative testing affects the performance of vagotomy, and is useful in teaching aspects of operative vagotomy. The endoscopic test appears to be the test of choice for determining completeness of vagotomy.