The role of vagotomy in healing of gastric ulcers induced in rats.

The role of vagotomy for healing of gastric ulcer is obscure. To investigate the effect of vagotomy on healing of experimentally-induced gastric ulcer, a mucosal defect of a constant size was made in the gastric fundus of control rats and other rats subjected to abdominal bilateral vagotomy. Gastric acid secretory response to electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus nerve and changes in body weight and in ulcer index (mm2) were estimated postoperatively, in these groups. Significant acid secretory responses to the vagal stimulation and constant weight gain were observed in the control rats while there was no acid secretory response and a lesser weight gain in the vagotomized rats than in the controls. There were no significant differences of postoperative ulcer indices between the two groups. These results suggest that the procedure does not alter gastric mucosal circumstances related to the healing of the gastric ulcers, although vagotomy abolishes the cephalic phase of gastric acid secretion.