[Prognosis of perforating gastroduodenal ulcer: simple closure or definitive ulcer operation?]

95 patients are reported, who had perforation of a gastroduodenal ulcer. In 47 cases the perforation was oversewn only; primary or secondary high selective vagotomy (HSV) were done in 33 cases and resection in 15 cases. Lethality of the first group was 23.3%; it was 9.1% after primary HSV and resection. No death was recorded in the group of 26 patients, who had secondary HSV or resection. In the group of patients surviving, which had symptoms for more than 3 months prior to surgery, 42.4% had new symptoms of ulcer diseases after surgery and 27.2% actual relapse, if the perforation had been oversewn only. These numbers were 16.2% after HSV and 5.4% after resection respectively. In patients where the ulcer was located intra- or postpylorically symptoms of ulcer disease were observed in 42.1% after simple oversewing, and in 15.4% after HSV or resection, the difference being significant. There was no difference between incidence of postoperative symptoms when ulcers was located prepylorically.