Etiology, treatment, and outcome of esophageal ulcers: a 10-year experience in an urban emergency hospital.
Esophageal ulcers are a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This report describes the etiology, treatment, complications, and outcome of esophageal ulcers. An esophageal ulcer is defined as a discrete break in the esophageal mucosa with a clearly circumscribed margin; esophageal ulcers were seen in 88 patients from a total of 7,564 esophagogastroduodenoscopies done by one surgeon at an urban hospital from 1991 to 2001. All hospital reports were reviewed. The etiology of esophageal ulcers included the following: gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) (n=58, 65.9%), drug induced (n=20, 22.7%), candidal (n=3, 3.4%), caustic injury (n=2, 2.3%), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), marginal ulcer, foreign body, and unknown etiology (n=1 of each, 1.1%). The mean size of GERD-induced esophageal ulcers and drug-induced esophageal ulcers was 2.78 and 2.92 cm, respectively; 80.3% of GERD-induced esophageal ulcers and 13.8% of drug-induced esophageal ulcers were located in the lower thoracic esophagus. Morbidity (n=44, 50%) included hemorrhage (n=30, 34%), esophageal stricture (n=11, 12.5%), and esophageal perforation (n=3, 3.4%). Nonoperative therapy sufficed in 81 patients (92%). Three patients (3.4%) had a recurrence of esophageal ulcers. Fifteen patients (17.0%) required endoscopic intervention including esophageal dilatation for stricture in 11 patients and endoscopic hemostasis for esophageal bleeding in four patients. Surgery (n=7, 8.0%) was reserved for esophageal stricture and perforation. Two patients (2.3%) died from complications of esophageal ulcers: hemorrhage in one and perforation in one. Three patients died of their primary disease. GERD and drug ingestion are common causes of esophageal ulcers. Midesophageal ulcers have a greater tendency to hemorrhage compared with ulcers at the gastroesophageal junction; this may reflect the etiology. Strictures complicate GERD-induced esophageal ulcers but not drug-induced esophageal ulcers. Esophageal dilatation is an effective treatment for most strictures associated with esophageal ulcers. Esophageal ulcers rarely cause death.
Higuchi
Daisuke
D
Department of Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Sugawa
Choichi
C
Shah
Sachin H
SH
Tokioka
Satoshi
S
Lucas
Charles E
CE
D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014456:Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014505:Urban Population
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal