Abstract
Alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase activities in the endoscopic target biopsy specimens were investigated by histochemical method in 94 cases with duodenal ulcer, with special reference to their healing and recurrence processes and the follow-up studies were done enzyme-histochemically in 5 cases of them. In the cases of poor healing and recurrence, there were found delayed recovery of enzyme activities in the epithelium, intense alkaline phosphatase activity in fibroblasts and the proliferative connective tissue of the interstitium and intense leucine aminopeptidase activity in the interstitial tissue. The enzyme-histochemical findings observed in the cases of rapid healing and no recurrence, on the other hand, were recovery of intense enzyme activities in the epithelium and diffuse alkaline phosphatase activity in the cell-infiltrated interstitial tissue. A combination of endoscopic observation and enzyme-histochemical examination using the target biopsy specimens is considered to be a useful means for judging the healing tendency and the recurrence in duodenal ulcer.
