Sprouting of the vagus nerve after highly selective vagotomy: an autoradiographic study in the ferret stomach

ABSTRACT

In this study, the sprouting of the vagal nerve terminals were investigated in the ferret stomach after highly selective vagotomy by using the autoradiographic technique. The acute experimental animals which had highly selective vagotomy were injected immediately with tritiated leucine into the vagal dorsal motor nucleus. autoradiographic examination of the body of the stomach failed to show any labelled nerve fibres, while the pylorus showed many labelled nerve fibers. These observations indicate that the highly selective vagotomy has been performed successfully. Abdominal examination, of the chronic experimental animals, three months after highly selective vagotomy. bridges of scar tissue were observed by passing the vagotomy ligatures to supply the stomach. Histological examination of the regrown tissue showed that it was normal nerve fibres. After cutting this regrown tissue and injection of these chronic animals with tritiated leucine into the vagal dorsal motor nucleus, labelled nerve fibres were seen in the body of the stomach. This indicates that terminals reactive sprouting of the vagus nerve has spread from the pylorus to supply the body of the stomach. This phenomenon of the compensatory reactive sprouting of the vagal nerve terminals may explain the recovery of gastric function and may account for the failures of highly selective vagotomy in humans. However, modification of surgery may decrease the high rate of incidence of recurrent peptic ulcer after highly selective vagotomy