Highly selective vagotomy versus truncal vagotomy and drainage for chronic duodenal ulceration: A ten year retrospective study (1972–1982)

A Retrospective study was made of 180 patients who had had surgery for chronic duodenal ulcer. One hundred and ten had highly selective vagotomy (HSV); 70 had truncal vagotomy and drainage (TV+D). The overall recurrence rate was 13.6% for H S V, 4.3% for TV+D. Eight patients with recurrent ulcers required further surgery, 2 having gastric ulceration after H S V. A questionnaire replied to by 171 patients indicated that 75 (70%) after H S V and 32 (50%) after TV+D were in excellent health. Diarrhoea was more frequent after TV+D (12.8%) than after H S V (1.8+). There was no mortality after H S V; one patient died from an unrelated cause after TV+D.