Helicobacter pylori gastritis: radiographic findings.

PURPOSE

To determine whether there are useful radiographic criteria for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Radiographs from double-contrast upper gastrointestinal examinations of 88 patients with H pylori and 41 control subjects were blindly reviewed. The results were analyzed by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

Thickened gastric folds were detected in 39 patients with H pylori (44%) and nine control subjects (22%). The area under the ROC curve was 0.62 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.05, P < .01). Among the 48 subjects with thickened gastric folds, polypoid gastritis with thickened, lobulated folds was detected in 24 patients with H pylori (62%) and four control subjects (44%). The area under the ROC curve was 0.59 (SD = 0.05, P < .01). No substantial differences were observed in the frequencies of gastric ulcers, erosive gastritis, gastric narrowing, duodenal ulcers, duodenitis, and duodenal narrowing in patients with and without H pylori.

CONCLUSION

The presence of thickened gastric folds was the best radiographic criterion for differentiating subjects with from those without H pylori.