Bilateral vagotomy

Wellhoner et al. 2 reported that intravenous injection of III at 25 mg/kg led to marked hypotension in rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and cats. The hypotensive effect was particularly marked in old cats that had high blood pressures initially it was not altered by bilateral vagotomy, evisceration, or removal of the carotid bodies, but was reduced or abolished by decapitation. These investigators suggested that the hypotension may result from some effect of the oxime on the CNS. They found also that prior doses of III prevented the hypertensive action of norepinephrine. 

PQE2 bronchodilator effects were not blocked by bilateral vagotomy, adrenalectomy, beta adrenergic or ganglionic blockade. These agents may represent a new and novel class of potent bronchodilator agents. ... 

The glycosidic alkaloid veronamine [(— )-4a -L-rhamnosidothali-fendlerine] produces systemic hypotension and bradycardia and a reduction in pressure of the perfused hindlimb of anesthetized dogs (380). The systemic effects of veronamine are blocked by bilateral cervical vagotomy or pretreatment with atropine, indicating that these effects are mediated through cholinergic mechanisms. The effect of veronamine in the perfused hindlimb is not sensitive to atropine. 

Thus, the observation by Home of the electric eel inspired Brodie to be the first to perform the surgical procedure that is now accepted as a vagotomy. The pioneering work of Brodie, however, was not on humans but on a total of four dogs. His first experiment was a bilateral cervical vagotomy. 

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