Surgical treatment of perforated gastric ulcer

Abstract

Introduction Peptic ulcer perforation is a complication of ulcer disease which requires urgent surgical treatment. The aim of this paper was to point out our experience in surgical treatment of perforated peptic ulcer. Material and methods This retrospective study analyzes results of surgical treatment in 365 patients with perforated peptic ulcer during the period January 1996 to December 2000. Results During the last 5-year period 365 patients were treated following peptic ulcer perforation. The average age was 43.53?8.26, with the span from 18 to 86. The most frequent surgical procedures in treatment of peptic ulcer perforation were: simple closure with biopsy (55.88%), excision of the ulcer with a pyloroplasty and vagotomy (35.29%) as nonresection surgical procedures and stomach resection after Billroth II (8.83%). The postoperative mortality was 4.41%. Conclusions The methods of choice in surgical treatment of gastric ulcer perforation are nonresection surgical procedures with drug therapy and eradication of Helicobacter pylori, if present.