The antrum in duodenal ulcer patients. Relationship between antrum size, nerve of Latarjet, gastrin cell quantity, and gastric acid secretion.

Estimates of the border between antral and fundic mucosa, antral size, antral G-cell density, G-cell population, and total G-cell volume were made from multiple biopsies taken from the gastric curves during parietal cell vagotomy for duodenal ulcer in 33 patients. No relation was found between the landmarks of Latarjet's nerve and the border. The fundic mucosa was underdenervated in 20% of the patients, and the postoperative acid response to sham feeding in these was higher than in patients with an overdenervated or optimally denervated border. No relation was found between antral size, defined as antral mucosal volume containing G-cells, and preoperative acid secretion. However, an inverse relation was found between antral size, defined as antral mucosal volume containing no parietal cells, and preoperative maximum acid secretion, suggesting an inverse relation between areas with and without parietal cells. No relation was found between acid secretion and G-cell densities, G-cell population, or total G-cell volume.