GASTRIC MUCOSAL HEMODYNAMICS AT THE ACTIVE, HEALING AND SCARRING STAGES OF GASTRIC ULCER

Analysis of Patients by Reflectance Spectrophotometry

Abstract

Gastric mucosal hemodynamics and oxygen sufficiency were studied by reflectance spectrophotometry during gastrofiberscopy. The spectra were taken from the gastric mucosa at 20 regions of 42 patients with gastric ulcer and of 51 patients with no gastric lesion. The mucosal blood volume and oxygen saturation of hemoglobin were estimated from the spectra. In patients who had active gastric ulcer, the mucosal blood volume decreased significantly at almost all regions in the stomach. With healing of the gastric ulcer, the mucosal blood volume increased to the same level as that of the control. At the margin of ulcer, the mucosal blood volume increased significantly during the healing stage, and returned to the level as that of the control at the scarring stage.
On the other hand, the estimated oxygen saturation of Hb was not changed in the presenceof gastric ulcer.
From these results, it is suggested that the presence of gastric ulcer effects on the gastricmucosal hemodynamics and this hemodynamic changes may also effect on the cell functions.