Gastric acid secretion and fasting serum gastrin in patients with duodenal ulcer, prepyloric ulcer or gastric ulcer.

In order to evaluate whether prepyloric ulcer (PPU) could be classified as an intermediate ulcer type between duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastric ulcer (GU), fasting serum gastrin as well as basal and pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion were studied. The fasting serum gastrin values in the three groups were not significantly different. Patients with PPU and DU showed a higher basal acid output compared to GU patients. The basal acid output in DU patients increased in the last two periods before stimulation, and in the last basal period it was significantly higher compared to PPU patients. Patients with GU showed the lowest basal and stimulated acid output. However, the higher stimulated acid output in DU patients was insignificantly different from that of PPU patients. The results indicate that basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion values in PPU patients are closer to those of DU patients than of GU patients. Furthermore, it is concluded that PPU is a homogeneous ulcer type without secretory overlap with the GU group.