[Indications and outcomes of surgical treatment of gastro-duodenal ulcer in child and adolescent. About 45 cases].

The goal of this study was to determine the indications and assess the results of surgery in the treatment of gastro-duodenal ulcers in children and adolescents. This is a retrospective study of 45 patients operated for duodenal ulcer in Sahloul Teaching Hospital (Susa, Tunisia) over period of 14 years (1988 - 2001). The study is about 41 boys and 4 girls aged between 8 and 18 years (mean age: 15 1/2 years). Surgery was undertaker in cases of bleeding ulcer (9 cases), perforation (26 cases), stenosis (7 cases), resistance to medical treatment (3 cases). The after-effects were mild in 40 cases with an average hospital stay of 6 days. Later after-effects comprised ulcerous relapse (2 cases), stricture of the pyloroplasty (2 cases), an diarrhea follwing vagotomy combined with pyloroplasty in one case. Indications of surgical treatment of gastro-duodenal ulcers in children and adolescents are, nowadays, nearly limited to complicated forms of the illness. Outcomes of surgical treatment are globally satisfactory.