A case of perforated duodenal ulcer developed during early pregnancy

Abstract

In general, it is thought that the risk of developing peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is lower during pregnancy compared to non-pregnant period. Reported case of perforated ulcer during pregnancy is also uncommon, although there are reports of such cases during third trimester, no case during early pregnancy has been reported. In this report, we share our experience with such a case in which the patient developed perforated duodenal ulcer during early pregnancy, but was able to maintain her pregnancy with some treatments. The patient was a 39-year old unipara who had already been under the hospital's care due to hyperemesis. Because she developed acute epigastric pain and an X-ray showed free gas in the abdominal cavity, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed. She was diagnosed with perforated duodenal ulcer, but was able to maintain her pregnancy through conservative treatments such as drug administration. We report our diagnosis, management, and treatment of the digestive tract perforation during pregnancy, along with some bibliographic considerations. [Adv Obstet Gynecol, 63(4) : 488-492, 2011 (H23.11)]