POSTOPERATIVE ALKALINE REFLUX GASTRITIS FOLLOWING VAGOTOMY

This study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence and severity of po stoperative alkaline reflux gastritis in 798 symptomatic duodenal ulce r patients who had undergone vagotomy The condition was identified on the basis of the unique endoscopic and histological findings in 116 (1 4.5%) of them. It was more frequent and severe in patients with trunca l vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy than in those with truncal vagotomy a nd pyloroplasty, while it was not at all observed in cases with proxim al gastric vago-tomy. the symptoms depended on the preoperative histor y of the ulcer disease and the patient's age at the time of surgery, b ut did not always correspond with the degree of histological findings. The location of the gastrojejunostomy and the size of the pyloroplast y stoma had an influence on the incidence of the syndrome. Helicobacte r pylori was found more frequently in biopsy specimens from patients w ith severe symptoms (30.3%), but was present in only 14.6% of the tota l number of the patients with postoperative alkaline reflux gastritis after vagotomy.