Chronic corrosive injuries of the stomach-a single unit experience of 109 patients over thirty years

Abstract

Background: Corrosive gastric injuries are not uncommon in developing countries because acids, which are more frequently associated with gastric injury, constitute the major type of offending chemical. The spectrum of gastric injury may vary from acute to varying types of chronic gastric involvement.

Methods: The 109 consecutive patients with chronic corrosive gastric injuries treated in a single tertiary care superspecialty institute over a period of 30 years were reviewed with special reference to presentation and problems in management.

Results: Acids contributed to 82.6% of chronic injuries. Chronic gastric injuries were usually one of five types in these patients. The majority had prepyloric strictures (83.5%). The remaining strictures were antral (4.6%), body (3.7%), pyloroduodenal (2.7%), or diffuse (5.5%).Twenty-one (22.8%) patients had a delayed gastric outlet obstruction, and18 patients had a concomitant esophageal stricture requiring a bypass. Most of the patients with chronic injury underwent surgical correction with Billroth I gastrectomy (77.1%), loop gastrojejunostomy (11.0%), and distal gastrectomy with Polya reconstruction (3.7%). Other procedures performed were pyloroplasty in 1 patient and colonic conduit jejunal anastomosis in 6 patients. One patient (1%) died in the postoperative period.

Conclusions: The management of chronic corrosive gastric injury depends on the type of gastric involvement, the presence of co-existent esophageal stricture, and the general condition of the patient. A limited resection of the affected stomach is the ideal procedure for the common type of gastric injury. In patients whose general condition prohibits major resection or where the stricture extends to the antrum the best treatment is a loop gastroenterostomy. Type III, IV, V strictures require individualized treatment. Delayed gastric outlet obstruction affects the treatment plan of combined gastric and esophageal injuries.