VAGOTOMY

VAGOTOMY, section of the vagus nerve. Bilateral vagotomy in experiments on animals inevitably leads to death from pulmonary edema or rapidly developing fatal pneumonia. Unilateral section is generally safe and leads only to paralysis of the corresponding vocal cord due to loss of function of the recurrent nerve. In the initial period after section, slight tachycardia and increased respiration may be observed. Much more dangerous than section is irritation of the nerve; for example, erroneous clamping of the nerve with a hemostat during an operation on the neck can lead to instantaneous death due to paralysis of respiration and the heart. Exner proposed section of the vagus nerve during gastric crises, Brüning during bronchial asthma. Nevertheless, the vagus nerve to this day remains a nerve, operations on which should be performed only when there are persistent indications for such. An example of such an operation is resection of the vagus nerve when removing a malignant tumor on the neck, which is fused with the nerve or has grown into it. Tumors (fibrosarcomas) originating from the vagus nerve itself have also been described.