Abstract
It has been generally accepted that the incidence of complication of gastric ulces in cases of cirrhosis of the liver (C.L. abbreviated as shown below) is relatively high. The author studied the incidence of gastric ulcer of C.L. statistically and its pathogenesis histologically, especially based on vascular changes of the stomach.
The results are as follows :
1) Among 2, 533 autopsy cases of the Second Department of Pathology, Showa University School of Medicine and three other hospitals during 10 years from 1965 to 1974, cases of C.L. came up to 115 ones (4.54%) . Out of 115 cases of C.L. the complication of gastric ulcer was revealed in 24 cases (20, 87%) .
2) Gastric ulcer concomitant with C.L. were relatively small in the size (below 2 cm in diameter), situated in the fundic gland area along the lesser curvature and shallow from UL-II to UL-III. Multiple lesions were met in more elderly persons the single one.
3) Both the liver and spleen in cases of C.L. with gastric ulcer were lighter in weight than those in cases of C.L. without gastric ulcer, the reason of which remained unexlained.
4) Histopathological studies revealed that venous changes including chronic congestion, marked dilatation, thickening of the wall and so on, seen in the gastric mucosa and submucose were the most prominent in cases of gastric ulcer with C.L. Venous changes of the stomach in cases of C.L. without gastric ulcer and of gastric ulcer surgically exstripated were in lower degree.
5) As the conclusion these venous changes in the gastric mucosa and submucosa following portal hypertation may be the most important pathogenetic factor in the development of gastric ulcer in cases of C.L.
