ENDOSCOPIC CHANGES OF LYMPHOID FOLLICLES AFTER HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION IN PATIENTS WITH H. PYLORI-ASSOCIATED CHRONIC GASTRITIS
2017 Volume 59 Issue 8 Pages 1610-1619
Details
2017 Volume 59 Issue 8 Pages 1610-1619
Objective : Small, round, yellowish-white nodules (YWNs) are frequently observed in the gastric mucosa of patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-associated gastritis. YWNs frequently contain lymphoid follicles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the endoscopic changes of YWNs after H. pylori eradication.
Methods : A total of 35 patients with H. pylori-associated gastritis who had YWNs in their gastric mucosa on endoscopic examination were enrolled. They ranged in age from 23 to 86 years. Endoscopic examinations were regularly performed over a duration of 3-12 months to evaluate the changes in the patients’ gastric mucosa. The observation period after H. pylori eradication ranged from 6 to 111 (58±31, mean±standard deviation) months.
Results : 1) The YWNs without mucosal nodularity gradually became smaller and whiter, and YWNs with a whitish part within or around the nodules were observed more frequently over time. As time elapsed, the YWNs changed into small white spots, and eventually, even these small white spots could not be identified on the mucosa. As for the YWNs with mucosal nodularity, the mucosal nodules decreased in size immediately after H. pylori eradication, and finally changed into spotty discolored areas in the mucosa.
2) After H. pylori eradication, YWNs were not identified in 74％, were reduced in size in 23％, and did not change in ３％ of the patients at the end of the regular endoscopic examinations. The cumulative disappearance rate of YWNs after eradication was 46％ at two years, 67％ at four years and 88％ at six years.
Conclusion : The YWNs became smaller and whiter after H. pylori eradication, and eventually could not be identified.
