Evaluation of gastric ulcer healing with mucosal microvascular architecture.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is presently no consensus on how long treatment of gastric ulcers should be continued to prevent ulcer recurrence. Therefore, we investigated the histologic state of healing, and the recurrence of gastric ulcers with Helicobacter pylori infection classified by gastric mucosal microvascular architecture as completely and incompletely healed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We obtained biopsy specimens from healed gastric ulcers in 71 patients who had been treated for eight weeks with omeprazole. The gastric mucosal microvascular architecture of the biopsy specimens was observed by the alkaline phosphatase staining method.

RESULTS

We found a significant correlation between the mucosal microvascular architecture in the biopsy specimens and the histologic state of ulcer healing Recurrences were significantly more frequent in ulcers classified by microvascular architecture as incompletely healed than in completely healed ulcers.

CONCLUSION

Observing the microvascular architecture of healed gastric ulcers is very useful for judging the state of healing, and therapy should be continued until ulcers are classified by this method as completely healed.