Gastric Secretion Following Vagosplanchnic Nerve Anastomosis

¹ From the Department of Surgery, New York University Post-Graduate Medical School, New York City

Gastric secretion in response to insulin hypoglycemia and electrical stimulation of the vagus was studied in 18 dogs who had bilateral vagosplanchnic anastomoses in the chest. In six dogs the pattern of gastric secretory response to insulin changed from negative in the early postoperative period to positive between 85 and 613 days postanastomosis. In two, apparent return of vagus function was confirmed by electrical stimulation of the vagi. One of five dogs in whom splanchnovagal nerve anastomoses were performed showed a return of response to insulin at 63 days which was abolished by excision of the anastomoses. On the basis of a review of some of the ideas regarding interpretation of cross nerve anastomoses and some of the conflicting opinions regarding the fiber content of the sympathetic splanchnic nerves, the authors conclude the most likely explanation for the observed phenomena is that there are preganglionic cholinergic fibers in the greater splanchnic nerves whose relationship to the gastric secretory apparatus is similar to that of cholinergic fibers in the vagus. The regenerating fibers of the vagus followed the sheaths of these degenerating fibers and re-established functional relationship with the gastric secretory apparatus.