Gastric outlet obstruction in peptic ulcer disease: an indication for surgery.

Eighty-seven patients with duodenal peptic ulcer disease and gastric outlet obstruction were reviewed retrospectively. All patients were initially treated with standard medical regimens. Gastric outlet obstruction persisted in 49 patients (56 percent) for more than 5 days, necessitating operative intervention. Obstruction relented in the other 38 patients (44 percent), and they were discharged from the hospital. However, late follow-up on the entire cohort revealed that 98 percent of patients with chronic ulcer disease and 64 percent of patients with acute disease ultimately required an operation.