The role of blood flow in chronic duodenal ulcer.
BACKGROUND
Changes in gastroduodenal blood flow have been implicated in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer. We have studied duodenal blood flow during the development of an acute to chronic duodenal ulcer by using the abscopal model, in which ulcers are generated as an indirect effect of lower mediastinal irradiation.


METHODS
Female CFLP mice (n = 108) weighing 25-40 g were randomly allocated to one of three groups. Controls were not irradiated. Irradiated 'controls' received 18 Gy 250 kV X-rays to the upper mediastinum (which does not cause duodenal ulceration). The lower mediastinum group received the same dose of irradiation, which has been shown to induce typical chronic duodenal ulcers in 45% of animals so treated. Animals were studied by means of radiolabelled microspheres 3 or 7 days later (that is, during and at the end of the lag period for ulcer induction).


RESULTS
Proximal duodenal blood flow specifically was reduced by 32% in the lower mediastinum group compared with irradiated controls at 7 days (4.3 versus 6.3 ml/g tissue/min; P = 0.025 by ANOVA with contrast); there was no significant difference in blood flow to the stomach and to the distal duodenum. The decrease in proximal duodenal blood flow in the lower mediastinum group did not differ in the five animals that developed ulcer compared with the seven that did not.


CONCLUSIONS
Although there is an overall decrease in duodenal blood flow associated with chronic duodenal ulcer, reduced blood flow may not explain individual susceptibility to ulceration.
Gompertz
R H
RH
Dept. of Surgery, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, UK.
Mathie
R T
RT
Michalowski
A S
AS
Spencer
J
J
Baron
J H
JH
Williamson
R C
RC
D000208:Acute Disease; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D014945:Wound Healing