The association of peptic ulcer and abdominal aortic aneurysm and its significance

Abstract

Twelve out of 51 consecutive patients who were operated on for unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm were found to have, in addition, a peptic ulcerr. Of these 12 patients, 7 developed complications (haemorrhage or perforation) in the immediate postoperative period. Eight of the 51 patients died following operation and the commonest cause of death (5 out of 8 patients) was either haemorrhage or perforation of a peptic ulcer. On the basis of these observations it is suggested that in patients with both an aortic aneurysm and a peptic ulcer vagotomy and pyloroplasty with gastrostomy should be carried out at the same time as aortic reconstruction.