Arterial Hypertension and Section of the Splanchnic Nerves

The surgical treatment of hypertension, though still in the experimental stage, has been widely reviewed in innumerable reports. In contribution to the literature of an increasing experience with splanchnicectomy, as advocated by Peet, we wish to present the results obtained in 40 patients. In most of the published series, candidates for operation were selected on more or less arbitrary grounds; for example, most surgeons accept for operation only patients under 50 years of age who are without congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, advanced arteriosclerosis and glomerulonephritis; they further prefer patients whose blood pressure is labile either spontaneously or after the administration of sedatives and vasodilating drugs. However, since the nerve-cutting operations for arterial hypertension are so entirely empiric, we felt justified in ignoring the published contraindications. Hoping to learn more about the effects of operation, we have accepted patients without regard to age, with congestive heart failure, angina pectoris and