Eighteen-Month Follow-up of Gastric Freezing in 173 Patients With Duodenal Ulcer

Gastric freezing for chronic duodenal-ulcer disease has been performed in 173 cases and an 18-month minimum follow-up has been achieved. The overall study indicates that 92.5% of the patients had symptoms or corrective surgery for recurrent disease at the time of the 18-month evaluation. Patients experience relief from previously distressing symptoms immediately following gastric freezing but the secretion of hydrochloric acid quickly returns to prefreeze levels or higher. Some patients are deceptively asymptomatic at three months postfreeze although acid levels are again high. Gastric freezing is a dramatic episode in the life of a patient with chronic duodenal ulcer and it appears to have a rather strong emotional appeal and to support subjective relief even in the absence of objective improvement.