[Surgery for gastroduodenal ulcer in Czechoslovakia in 1985]

The authors submit statistical information on the morbidity from gastroduodenal ulcers in surgical departments in the CSR in 1985. These are the first report of this type; unfortunately they are not yet complete as far as partial diagnoses are concerned, as sometimes doctors use only three-digit codes when filing in the forms. The total number of gastroduodenal ulcers accounts for 2% of all hospitalized patients in surgical departments on the CSR and only 41.4% are operated. It seems that to surgical departments still many patients are referred directly who were not examined by a specialist in internal medicine or by a gastroenterologist. Interregional differences are considerable. Gastric ulcers are more numerous, 1632, as compared with 1464 duodenal ulcers. The position is similar as regards perforated ulcers or ulcers with acute haemorrhage. There are also differences in the mean treatment period. It is somewhat longer in duodenal ulcers in all groups. On the other hand, the lethality is lower in duodenal ulcers in general as well as after perforation and haemorrhage. The development of urgent surgery in perforated ulcers in a long-term comparison does not disclose any obvious improvement. Therefore the question of prevention by early operation of gastroduodenal ulcers before complications develop is even more important.