Figure 1. Algorithm of patients studied.
Numbers in parentheses refer to the numbers of patients in each category. To be eligible for the study patients had to be cured postresection and have at least a two-year follow-up from their last postoperative BAO. Patients were stratified into three groups based on their highest postoperative acid secretory level. Patients with or without a previous acid-reducing surgery were classified as postoperative normosecretors if the BAO was <5 or 15 mEq/h, respectively; moderate hypersecretors if BAO was 5–14.9 or 15–24.9, respectively; and extreme hypersecretors if BAO was ≥15 or ≥25 mEq/h, respectively.