A prospective, randomized study comparing highly selective vagotomy and extended highly selective vagotomy in patients with duodenal ulcer.

The recurrence rate of duodenal ulcer after highly selective vagotomy is nearly 10 percent. To diminish this percentage, extended highly selective vagotomy with sectioning the gastroepiploic nerves has been proposed in order to reduce postoperative gastric acid secretion. We have prospectively compared the decrease in gastric acid secretion through measurement of basal acid output, maximal acid output, and peak acid output in patients who underwent highly selective vagotomy or extended highly selective vagotomy. No significant differences in postoperative gastric acid secretion were found and, therefore, no changes in the probability of postoperative recurrence of duodenal ulcer were seen.