The preventive and therapeutic effects of vagotomy for stress ulcer--experimental studies on the aspects of gastric submucosal blood flow and ulcer index.

The purpose of this study was to examine the preventive and therapeutic effects of vagotomy on the stress-induced ulcer in terms of gastric submucosal blood flow and ulcer index. Stress was induced in male Wistar rats by forced immersion in water, and the gastric submucosal blood flow (hydrogen clearance method) and ulcer index were determined in animals that underwent truncal vagotomy alone or truncal vagotomy + pyloroplasty as well as in untreated controls. Both truncal vagotomy alone and truncal vagotomy + pyloroplasty were effective in maintaining the blood flow during stress and preventing the development of ulcers, however, these effects were more notable in the truncal vagotomy + pyloroplasty animals. Truncal vagotomy alone or truncal vagotomy + pyloroplasty performed after the development of stress-induced ulcers had no therapeutic effects.