Discussion VII

Abstract

Dr van Blankenstein, you stated that technical failures of HSV result in no decrease in pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion. However, there are many incomplete vagotomies in which stimulated acid secretion is lowered though admittedly to a lesser extent than in complete vagotomy. Although neither intra-operative, nor postoperative testing is really reliable in predicting a relapse, the patients with a positive post-operative insulin test are four times as likely to get a recurrent ulcer than the negative patients. This does not mean that patients with negative insulin tests will be free of recurrences.