Gastric emptying after pancreatoduodenectomy with total stomach preservation and selective proximal vagotomy.

This study evaluates postoperative gastric emptying following a new method of pancreatoduodenectomy with total stomach preservation and selective proximal vagotomy performed on 10 patients with diseases affecting the head of the pancreas, 7 being malignant and 3 benign. Reconstruction was carried out using the Billroth I and Billroth II techniques in 5 patients each, respectively. Early postoperative gastric emptying was evaluated by the time before intragastric tube removal and the resumption of oral intake, as well as by barium gastric radiography, while late postoperative gastric emptying was evaluated by the acetaminophen method. No difference was seen in early postoperative gastric emptying between the two surgical techniques, the mean time which elapsed before intragastric tube removal being 4.4 days for the Billroth I and 4.5 days for the Billroth II patients, and the mean time until the resumption of oral intake being 6.8 days for the Billroth I and 7.0 days for the Billroth II patients. A significant delay in gastric emptying was seen in the Billroth II patients compared to a normal control group, 30 and 45 min after acetaminophen administration, but the difference in gastric emptying between the Billroth I and II patients was not significant. Moreover, both techniques impaired gastric emptying much less than Traverso's pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy.