Ulcer surgery made less expensive. A cost-development study: 1963, 1973, and 1978.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Surgical Innovation
• Health Economics

Background:

• Duodenal ulcer disease historically required invasive surgical interventions.
• Partial gastrectomy was a common operative approach for duodenal ulcers.
• Evaluating the economic impact of surgical procedure evolution is crucial for healthcare management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the 15-year cost trend of operative treatment for duodenal ulcer disease.
• To correlate changes in surgical procedures with cost variations.
• To assess the economic impact of shifting from partial gastrectomy to highly selective vagotomy.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal cost analysis of operative treatments for duodenal ulcers over 15 years.
• Detailed daily measurement of all individual cost items.
• Inflation adjustment of all costs to a 1975 price level for consistent comparison.

Main Results:

• A significant 42% reduction in the overall cost for operative treatment of duodenal ulcers was observed.
• This cost reduction directly coincided with the transition from partial gastrectomy to highly selective vagotomy as the standard procedure.
• Subsequent refinements in highly selective vagotomy techniques did not yield further cost savings.

Conclusions:

• The adoption of highly selective vagotomy significantly decreased the operative treatment costs for duodenal ulcer disease.
• Surgical procedure choice has a substantial economic impact on managing duodenal ulcer disease.
• Further optimization of highly selective vagotomy may not offer additional economic benefits.