[Surgical interventions in ulcer diseases in Denmark. A questionnaire study]

Surgical practice in the treatment of peptic ulceration in Denmark is illustrated by means of a questionnaire. The percentage of replies was 96. The investigation reveals that the predominant method of elective surgery for duodenal ulceration is still proximal gastric vagotomy rather than vagotomy+antrectomy. In elective surgery for prepyloric ulcer, vagotomy+antrectomy is employed most frequently and for elective operation for gastric ulcer partial gastric resection. In operative interventions for complications of ulceration such as haemorrhage and perforation, the operative strategy appears to be determined by the difficult current possibilities for training in ulcer surgery to a not inconsiderable extent, rather than to be based on a rational scientific basis as the definitive intervention here is replaced to a great extent by minor interventions such as simple undersewing of a bleeding gastric ulcer followed by H2-blocker treatment and simple closure of a perforated duodenal ulcer.