Perforated duodenal ulcer--a long term follow-up

Retrospective analysis of 115 cases of perforated duodenal ulcer was done to determine the long term prognosis of patients managed by suture plication. Male to female ratio was 7.8:1. Males were younger than females with a median age of 35 and 50 years respectively. Highest frequency was noted in the 4th decade. Thirty-eight percent cases were smokers and 8.7% were pan/tobacco chewers. Blood group O was predominant (36.5%). Ninety-five percent perforations were in the anterior wall of the Cap and 5% prepyloric. Of the 48 (42%) cases followed, 28 (58%) relapsed during a 15 year follow-up. The cumulative relapse rate increased with the increase of follow-up period. Patients who relapsed had a longer duration of symptoms prior to perforation (P less than 0.05) than those who did not relapse.