Prolonged post-vagotomy gastric atony treated by oxytocin

Persistent and complete post-vagotomy gastric atony was treated in 3 patients by intravenous infusion of oxytocin. Despite failure of both conventional treatment with gastric aspiration and intravenous fluids or jejunal feeding, as well as the reported trials with bethanechol chloride and metaclopramide, these patients promptly responded to oxytocin. It appears that the latter may represent a solution to this uncommon but recalcitrant complication of peptic ulcer surgery.