Gastric ulceration and changes in acid secretion and mucosal blood flow after partial gastric devascularization in...

In anesthetized cats pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion and blood flow were determined 2 hours and one week after partial gastric devascularization. The blood flow to different regions and layers of the stomach wall and the cardiac output were determined by means of the microsphere distribution technique. The H+ output from the 30th to the 60th min of pentagastrin stimulation was used as the acid response value. Devascularization resulted in marked decrease in acid secretion after 2 hours and after one week, but the acidity of the gastric juice was not changed. The corpus/fundus mucosal blood flow was markedly reduced 2 hours after devascularization. After one week the blood flow was still low, but not significantly different from sham values. The ratio of acid secretion to mucosal blood flow was not significantly changed one week after devascularization as compared with the acute experiments. All cats examined one week after devascularization had developed ulcers at the midportion of the greater curvature, which was the area of the corpus/fundus that had the most markedly reduced mucosal blood flow. The data indicate that reduced gastric secretion and development of ulcers were due to reduced gastric mucosal blood flow caused by the devascularization. Our results are also discussed in relation to results and complications after highly selective vagotomy in man, as this operation includes partial devascularization of the stomach.