Effect of partial gastric devascularization on mucosal blood flow and acid secretion in cats

Partial devascularization of the stomach was performed in cats anesthetized with pentobarbital. The devascularization included all blood vessels along the greater curvature and two of the main branches of the left gastric artery. Gastric mucosal blood flow and cardiac output were determined by means of the microsphere distribution technique. The acid (H+) output from the 30th to the 60th min of pentagastrin stimulation was used as the 'acid response value'. Blood flow and acid secretion were determined before and approximately 2 h after devascularization or sham operation. A marked decrease in acid secretion and mucosal blood flow of the corpus/fundus occurred after devascularization. A high degree of correlation was found between the decrease in acid secretion and the decrease in mucosal blood flow caused by the devascularization. The regression coefficient of acid secretion on mucosal blood flow did not change significantly after devascularization.