complications
Last reviewed 01/2018
The major side effects of vagotomy are:
- diarrhoea:
- may be severe enough to limit normal functioning
- classically, the patient episodically passes one or two loose stools
with an intervening diarrhoea-free period of 3-4 weeks
- dumping syndromes
- gallstones
In the long-term, hypochlorhydria may predispose to gastric cancer but this has not been substantiated.
Reference:
- Lundegardh, G., Ekbom, A., et al.. Gastric cancer risk after vagotomy. Gut 1994; 35: 946-949.