Results of elective surgery for recurrent ulcer.

Ninety-two patients operated on electively for recurrent peptic ulcer during the years 1970-1979 were subjected to follow-up after two to twelve years. Two patients died in connection with the reoperation and a third patient during the follow-up time of complications to the ulcer disease (3%). Postoperative complications developed in nine patients (26%) after resection and in five patients (8%) after vagotomy. Ten of 87 patients, who had the combination of vagotomy and resection as a result of the original and present operation, developed suspected or proven recurrent ulcer (11%) while this occurred in four of seven (57%) who had not had this combination. At the follow-up 54% of the patients were classified as Visick I or II. Most of the patients classified as Visick III or IV were so, not because of recurrent ulcer but because of side-effects like dumping, diarrhoea, and vomiting.