Importance of the site of endoscopic gastric biopsy in ulcerating lesions of the stomach.

Twenty freshly resected stomach specimens, each containing an ulcerated carcinoma, were studied in an attempt to determine the best site for gastric biopsy. Using endoscopic biopsy forceps multiple biopsies were obtained from various sites around the ulcer. Carcinoma was detected with similar frequency in biopsies from the slough and from the rim of the ulcer. The positive biopsy rate was increased to 95% when the results from the rim and the slough were combined. It is suggested that the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic gastric biopsy can be improved by taking biopsies from both the rim and the slough of an ulcer.