We undertook a 12-year review of the elective and emergency surgery for duodenal ulcer in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, to ascertain whether the introduction of cimetidine as treatment for duodenal ulcer had led to a reduction in the number of elective and emergency operations being performed for duodenal ulcer. There was no decrease in the number of elective operations performed for duodenal ulcer. Indeed, in the same period, emergency operations for bleeding and perforated ulcers had increased.