Aim of investigation: To specify etiopathogenetical characteristics of the disease in case of "high" and "low" gastric ulcers.
Materials and methods: 96 patients with relapse of gastric ulcer disease (GUD) were examined, median age 41 +/- 3.1 years, 71.9% of male patients, 28.1% of female patients. The first group included 58 patients with "high" ulcer, the second included 38 patients with pyloroantral ulcer. All patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 24-hour intragastric pH-metry prior to the prescription of antisecretory therapy. The results of the examination were compared with data of 100 healthy subjects.
Results: Intragastric acidity in case of "high" ulcers, by value of fundal and antral pH and its circadian dynamics, was comparable to that of the healthy people. By the frequency of duodenogastral reflux (DGR) close to normal the total duration was significantly higher because of considerable increase of portion of long and high refluxes. High acidity in corpus and antral region, absence of the normal daily variations, significant increase of night acidity, decrease of DGR frequency and duration were noted by "low" gastric ulcers.
Conclusions: In case of "high" localization of gastric ulcer normal acidity production and unusual high and enduring duodenogastral refluxes are revealed more often; combination of high hyperacidity and pronounced depression of duodenogastral reflux are seen in case of pyloroantral ulcer.