AN ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF VAGOTOMY OR SPLANCHNECTOMY ON THE MOTILITY OF THE TRANSECTED CANINE STOMACH

Transection and end-to-end anastomosis of the canine stomach generally elicits the development of frequent anti-peristaltic discharges and stronger peristalses in the portion distal to the anastomosis. With the use of electromyography, influence of vagotomy or splanchnectomy on this exciting condition of the gastric motility was studied.Vagotomy or splanchnectomy caused little changes in the gastric motility of the control dogs where transection of the stomach had not been performed precedently. When vagotomy or bilateral splanchnectomy was followed by the transection and end-to-end anastomosis of the stomach, development of frequent anti-peristalsis was observed distal to the anastomotic line. On the contrary, in a condition where frequent anti-peristalses are observed below the an astomotic line after transection and end-to-end anastomosis of the stomach, an addition of vagotomy or splanchnectomy was followed by no noticeable changes in the frequency of anti-peristalsis.Out of the results obtained in the present experiment, it is concluded. that the development of anti-peristaltic discharges after transection.and endto-end anastomosis is not related to the severence of gastric innervation, but, moreover, closely related to the excitation of the gastric wall per se caused by the transection of the stomach.