Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the duodenal bulb: relationship to peptic ulcer.

Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the duodenal bulb causes a characteristic radiologic abnormality consisting of multiple small, well-defined nodules in the mucosa. This finding was identified in 92 (5%) of 1873 consecutive standard biphasic barium examinations of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Of these 92, only one patient (1%) had an associated duodenal ulcer as compared with the other 1781 patients without heterotopic gastric mucosa of whom 225 (13%) had duodenal ulcers or scars (p = .002). No gastric ulcers or ulcer scars were identified in the patients with heterotopic gastric mucosa, whereas ulcers or scars were identified in 88 patients (5%) without heterotopic gastric mucosa (p = .05). These data raise the possibility that heterotopic gastric mucosa protects against peptic ulceration.