Effect of pyloroplasty on gastric emptying: long term results as obtained with a labelled test meal 14-43 months after operation.

The mean gastric transit time (t) and the half-time of gastric emptying (t/2) of a labelled test meal have been studied in 18 patients more than 1 year after gastric surgery for peptic ulcer and compared with those in 18 healthy controls. Of the patients, 6 had undergone proximal gastric vagotomy alone (PGV), L had had proximal gastric vagotomy and pyloroplasty (PGVP) and in 6 truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty (TVP) had been performed. The t and t/2 of patients with PGV alone did not differ significantly from the values of the control group. The t and t/2 in patients after PGVP and TVP, however, were significantly lower than in both controls and patients after PGV alone. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with PGVP and TVP. The results of this study suggest that the lasting effects of vagotomy operations on gastric emptying are due to the drainage procedure rather than the vagotomy.