[Complaint picture and self concept of patients with duodenal ulcer before and 4 years after surgery].

In a catamnesis 4 years after surgery for duodenal ulcer the development of the bodily complaints and of the self-concept of 42 patients was investigated. The self-image of the duodenal ulcer patients 4 years after the operation was the same as before! An unsolved problem of aggression and a state of depression could be identified now as before. Characteristics, which describe self-esteem and confidence were found as highly stable--i.e. they were relatively independent of time and rater. The intestinal complaints in average showed a decrease. Nevertheless the total score of complaints--intestinal and nonintestinal --of the ulcer patients in comparison to a representative sample (Federal Republic of Germany and Berlin-West) was much higher. The main postoperative complaints still came from the intestinum . It could be shown, that in a large subgroup of patients had established a shift of the syndrome to pains in the limbs. The results are discussed under psychoanalytical- psychosomatical aspects.