Effect of Drugs on Gastric Motility Following Vagotomy

Abstract

Conclusions

Death of rabbits one or 2 days after cervical vagotomy occurred as reported by Short⁴ and others. During the first several hours after operation the animals seemed in good condition and stomach motility ceased. Levin⁵ has described this as “shock.” Motility recovered later and persisted as described by Opuls,⁶ Auer⁷ and others. Van Yzeren⁸ noted chronic gastric ulcers in rabbits after vagotomy and this has been confirmed by others and by us.

In man gastric contractions were markedly depressed after vagotomy even though resting intragastric pressure increased slightly. These effects persisted. Ulcers healed or became quiescent. This difference in the effect of vagotomy, that is, healing of ulcer in man and development of ulcer in rabbits might be associated with decreased motility in man and increased or continued motility in rabbits.

Of the drugs studied (Table I) most restored motility or tone during the first hours after vagotomy in rabbits. In patients Urecholine was the most effective. Starr and Ferguson⁹ first reported the clinical use of Urecholine. Machella et al. ¹⁰ described its effect in patients after vagotomy. Our observations confirm theirs but indicate also that some effect was obtained from Mecholyl and Doryl. Urecholine and Doryl have proved effective in overcoming gastric retention in patients treated by vagotomy providing scar tissue obstruction of the outlet of the stomach does not exist.