Surgical Treatment of Peptic Ulcer

Peptic ulcers are painful areas of the gastrointestinal tract where H pylori bacteria create colonies of at least 1/2 cm in diameter and usually generate acid. In some cases the best option for treatment of these ulcers is surgery.

• Ulcer surgery sometimes is required.

Ulcer symptoms

• Peptic ulcers may be diagnosed from a variety of symptoms, including: abdominal pain about three hours after eating, bloating, large amounts of salivation, nausea, vomiting, vomiting blood, tarry stool, and possibly gastric perforation (a hole in the stomach). Should some or all of these symptoms occur, an ulcer is a doctor's likely diagnosis.

Complications

• Ulcers can cause life-threatening complications. These include stomach perforation resulting in filling the abdominal cavity with stomach fluid, usually fatal; penetration where the ulcer may migrate to another organ or system such as the pancreas; simple bleeding in the stomach; or total obstruction of the stomach. Each of these complications usually requires emergency surgery.

Treatment Options

• If the ulcer is detected early on, treatment may be fairly easy. Generally, antacids are used to combat the acid increase and combinations of anitbiotics drugs and protein pump inhibitors are used to attack and kill the bacteria itself. These treatments are very effective in combating peptic ulcers in most cases. Sometimes, should the case be very minor, antacids alone may be recommended before more expensive or extreme measures.

Surgery

• Should the ulcer perforate or penetrate the walls of the stomach or intestine, surgery becomes the only viable option. The surgery is usually performed in an emergency setting in response to a given complication. The patient is opened laproscopically, requiring only a small incision and minimizing blood loss and shock. The laproscope is inserted through a small incision into to ulcerated area, the ulcer is then cauterized, or burned, until it no longer generates acid or bacteria.

Conclusion

• Generally, peptic ulcers do not require surgical interventions. Rather, the general treatment is a combination of antibiotics and antacids. If you have any of the symptoms indicated above, contact a medical professional immediately. The earlier the ulcer is diagnosed, the lower the risk of dangerous surgery.