Surgical treatment of high gastric ulcer

The purpose of this study has been to review the late results of surgical treatment of 244 patients with endoscopically proved benign chronic gastric ulcer located 5 cm or less from the cardia. In five patients, a total gastrectomy with esophagojejunostomy was performed. Proximal gastrectomy was used in 3 patients, mesogastrectomy in 5 patients, a partial Schoemaker's procedure in 73 patients, Pauchet's procedure in 70 patients, and Csendes' procedure in 23 patients. Nonresective procedures were employed in 67 patients and included the Kelling-Madlener procedure in 23 patients, pyloroplasty alone in 10 patients, gastrojejunostomy alone in 4 patients, local or wedge excision of the ulcer in 9 patients, and vagotomy and pyloroplasty in 21 patients. The follow-up evaluation was performed in 91 percent of the patients (mean 9 years postoperatively, range 5 to 15 years), with emptying endoscopy in all nonresected patients. A high mortality was observed after total or proximal gastrectomy, as well as after nonresective procedures. After the other resective techniques, low postoperative morbidity and mortality were observed. No recurrent ulcer was seen after the resective procedures. Based on these results, we propose that when the ulcer is located 5 cm below the cardia, Schoemaker's or Pauchet's procedure should be performed; if the ulcer is located 2 cm or less from the cardia, Csendes' procedure or the Kelling-Madlener procedure should be employed.