Gastrectomy

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Gastrectomy means surgical removal of part or the whole of the stomach.

Partial gastrectomy, usually combined with an operation to cut the nerves to the stomach (vagotomy), is often successful in the treatment of medically uncontrollable stomach and duodenal ulcers. Removing part of the stomach reduces the amount of acid produced and so can be effective in the management of duodenal ulcers.

Since the development of drugs such as the histamine H₂-receptor antagonists cimetidine (Tagamet) and ranitidine (Zantac), gastrectomy has been required less often. And with the development of minimally invasive surgery through flexible tubes (endoscopic methods) to treat ulcers and control bleeding from them, the operation has become even less common.

Why should it be done?
How is it performed?
Results
Recovery