Physiological outcome following laparoscopic highly selective vagotomy. A controlled study in a pig model.

Open highly selective vagotomy (HSV) has withstood the rigors of objective evaluation to become the optimal surgical treatment for chronic duodenal ulcer refractory to medical therapy in many centers. Laparoscopic HSV has not been subjected to the same scrutiny before entering clinical practice. A controlled animal study was conducted to demonstrate the physiological validity of laparoscopic HSV. Experimental groups underwent laparoscopic and open highly selective vagotomies, and control groups underwent a sham laparoscopic gastric mobilization or no operative procedure. Gastric acid output was measured by an aspiration technique, liquid gastric emptying was calculated by the double sampling technique of George, and gastroesophageal reflux was assessed by 8-h ambulatory pH monitoring. Laparoscopic HSV was as effective as its open counterpart in reducing basal acid output, and laparoscopic HSV did not interfere with liquid gastric emptying in contrast to open HSV. Neither open nor laparoscopic HSV was observed to precipitate gastroesophageal reflux. These data suggested that the continued use of laparoscopic HSV in clinical practice is appropriate.