Bleeding stomal ulceration.

In a prospective study of patients with haematemesis and melaena, there were 22 admissions of patients with bleeding stomal ulceration, representing 2.5% of total admissions to the Unit. In 16 patients the bleeding was from superficial stomal lesions. These lesions, endoscopically and histologically, resembled alkaline reflux gastritis, a recently defined cause of postgastrectomy bile vomiting. Five patients presented with chronic ulceration following inadequate gastric surgery. One patient was admitted on two occasions. Nine patients received more than five units of blood and came to operation for continued bleeding. In seven of the surgical cases, the bleeding was from superficial stomal lesions. Our experience suggests that truncal vagotomy is necessary to control the bleeding in these patients. One patient presented with superficial stomal ulceration and carcinomatous change. This patient died. It is important to subject these lesions to biopsy, and biopsy with extension of a previous gastrectomy is indicated to control bleeding, and to exclude malignancy.