Abstract
Diagnosis of infection based on the classifications of Nakajima et al. was performed using X-ray films of patients examined after H. pylori eradication therapy. The diagnosis was uninfected in 14.5%, prior infection in 48.9%, and current infection in 36.6%. A trend toward a diagnosis of no infection was seen in patients <55 years old at the time of eradication and patients with background diseases of gastritis or duodenal ulcer or scarring. A trend toward a diagnosis of current infection was seen in patients with background diseases of gastric ulcer or scarring. The diagnosis based on X-ray examination was current or prior infection in many patients for whom a high risk of gastric cancer was suspected after eradication. Some, however, were diagnosed as uninfected and the risk was judged as low. Patients who have undergone eradication often show false-positive results when infection is diagnosed using X-ray films only. The number of patients who have undergone eradication is expected to increase in the future, and a test system in which the history of eradication is checked and results are considered accordingly appears warranted.
