title: Helicobacter pylori--the hidden infection.
abstract: Surgical intervention is the failure of medicine. Or so it was once said. Those who have been involved in the treatment of peptic ulceration would probably agree with that statement. In the Fifties, general surgery lists included a high proportion of gastric surgery. Between then and now there has been an increasing refinement of techniques until the development of more effective medical treatment led to a reduction in surgery for peptic ulceration. In recent years the realisation that the micro-organism helicobacter pylori is significant in the incidence of ulcers has opened up new lines of treatment. Understanding of this infection is still necessary for those involved in therapeutic and diagnostic surgical interventions.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nightingale
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents