Short and long term outcome of Helicobacter pylori positive resistant duodenal ulcers treated with colloidal bismuth subcitrate plus antibiotics or sucralfate alone.

Thirty two patients with Helicobacter pylori positive duodenal ulcers resistant to treatment were randomly assigned to 4 weeks' treatment with sucralphate 4 g/day or colloidal bismuth subcitrate 480 mg/day plus amoxycillin from days 1 to 7 and tinidazole from days 8 to 14. After 4 weeks, patients with unhealed ulcers were crossed over to the other form of treatment for a further 4 week period. Patients with healed ulcers were followed up for 1 year without maintenance therapy with clinical and endoscopic investigations 3, 6, and 12 months after healing. Complete healing rates at 4 weeks were 88% (15 of 17) in the colloidal bismuth subcitrate plus antibiotics group and 40% (six of 15) in the sucralphate group (p < 0.05). After cross over, overall healing rates were 88% (22 of 25) and 47% (eight of 17), respectively (p < 0.05). H pylori eradication occurred in 83% of patients treated with the triple therapy. Cumulative relapse rates at 12 months were 12% (two of 17) in patients in whom H pylori had been eradicated and 100% (10 of 10) in those with persistent infection after short term therapy (p < 0.05). These results show that a colloidal bismuth subcitrate plus antibiotics regimen is highly effective in the short term treatment of resistant duodenal ulcers and that H pylori eradication can change the natural tendency to early recurrence of these ulcers.