Basal and meat extract plasma gastrin before and after parietal cell vagotomy and selective gastric vagotomy with drainage in patients with duodenal ulcer

Basal and meat extract stimulated plasma gastrin (PG) levels and basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion were evaluated pre and postoperatively in duodenal ulcer patients who underwent parietal cell vagotomy without antral drainage (normal duodena) (PC, n=32) or selective vagotomy with drainage (pyloric stenosis) (SV +P, n=11). Before operation, both groups had comparable basal PG values of 52+/-13 pg/ml (PCVP) AND 51+/-18 PG/ML (SV+P), while the peak gastrin level to meat extract stimulation was 173+/-40 pg/ml for the total group of patients. After both operations basal PG levels increased (107+/-18 pg/ml (PCV) and 152+/-45 pg/ml (SV+P) and the gastrin response to meat extract stimulation was augmented after PCV, while the response after SV+P was the same as before operation. Patients with PCV often demonstrated an acid response following meat extract stimulation (3.6+/-0.9 mEq HC1/hr), and pentapeptide stimulation (18.8+/-2.0 mEq/hr) while patients with SV/P showed a minimal response (1.3+/-1.2 mEq HC1/hr meat extract), and 10.7+/-1.8 mEq/hr pentapeptide stimulation. The comparatively intact acid response in the PCV patients may augur a high ultimate recurrence rate.