Laparoscopic vagotomy for chronic duodenal ulcer disease

Two laparoscopic procedures for treatment of chronic duodenal ulcer are described: bilateral truncal vagotomy with balloon pyloric dilatation and posterior truncal vagotomy with anterior lesser curve seromyotomy. The first procedure is simple to perform and easily reproducible, but the latter is preferred because it respects the physiology of the stomach. Thirty-six patients were operated on over a period of 18 months with good results comparable to those with open surgery. The indications for surgery were intractable chronic duodenal ulcers resistant to optimal medical therapy. There was no perioperative morbidity or mortality, and recurrent ulcers have not been demonstrated during early postoperative follow-up. The proper role of laparoscopic surgery in the arsenal of treatment of duodenal ulcers is unclear. The method of laparoscopic vagotomy requires rigorous experimental evaluation in specialized centers before widespread clinical application. Future multicentric prospective studies with long-term follow-up are necessary to assess the results of this innovative therapy of acid-peptic disease.