Intragastric Pressure after Vagotomy in Man

Abstract

Thirty-one recordings were made of gastric pressure, in the empty state and following saline instillation. 19 measurements were obtained from patients treated with vagotomy and pyloroplasty or Billroth I operation. Increased pressures were noted after vagotomy, together with absence of pressure variations, sometimes lasting for over two years. The findings suggest that the impaired motility following vagotomy is caused by rigidity or dystony of the gastric smooth musculature rather than by atony.

Key-words:

• Intragastric pressure
• stomach
• vagotomy