Gastric emptying after different surgical procedures for duodenal ulcer

Gastric emptying has been studied in patients operated upon for duodenal ulcer by either 1) parietal cell vagotomy without or 2) with pyloroplasty, 3) truncal vagotomy combined with pyloroplasty or 4) antral resection, 5) gastric resection a.m. Billroth I or 6) Billroth II. Isotonic saline and 10% glucose solution have been used as test meals. Volumes of meal remaining 10 and 30 minutes after the instillations of the saline and the glucose meal respectively have been estimated. After parietal cell vagotomy without pylorplasty (PCV) the gastric emptying rate of 10% glucose solution was significantly faster than in unoperated duodenal ulcer patients. After all the other surgical procedures the gastric emptying rate of saline as well as of glucose solution was in turns significantly faster than after PCV. These results indicate the importance of the antrum-pyloric region for the control of gastric emptying rate of isotonic saline and hyperosmolar glucose solution.