Diagnosis and Management of Benign Gastric and Duodenal Disease

The diagnosis of uncomplicated peptic ulcers is difficult to make on a solely clinical basis. Whereas radiographic upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series remain useful, endoscopy is the most accurate method of establishing the diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease. Laboratory tests play an important role in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Figures showing UGI series with double contrast and H. pylori organisms on gastric biopsy samples are provided. The improved medical management of peptic ulcer disease has decreased the need for surgical intervention, which is now largely reserved for urgent management of complications such as hemorrhage, bleeding, and perforation, or the management of obstruction from intractable disease. The appropriate extent of preoperative evaluation for a patient undergoing surgery for a benign gastroduodenal disorder is dictated primarily by the nature of the presenting problem. Endoscopy is the main diagnostic tool to identify the source of bleeding, and in many cases endoscopic therapy can control the bleeding. Angiographic transarterial embolization may be considered following failed endoscopic hemostasis, particularly in high-risk surgical patients. Operative planning is described. The steps of the operative technique, complications, and outcome evaluations are provided for the main surgical interventions for peptic ulcer disease, including vagotomy and pyloroplasty for bleeding duodenal ulcer; resection of bleeding gastric ulcer; omental patch for duodenal perforation (Graham patch); antrectomy; highly selective vagotomy; laparoscopic treatment of peptic ulcer disease; and duodenal diverticulectomy. Operative figures show a Kocher maneuver; omental patch; truncal vagotomy; highly selective vagotomy; Taylor procedure; Heineke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty; Finney pyloroplasty; Billroth I and II antrectomy; Braun enteroenterostomy; and duodenal diverticulectomy. This review contains 15 figures, 2 tables, and 43 references.