At endoscopy, gastric ulcers appear as discrete mucosal lesions with a punched-out smooth ulcer base, which often is filled with whitish fibrinoid exudate. Ulcers tend to be solitary and well circumscribed and usually are 0.5-2.5 cm in diameter. Most gastric ulcers tend to occur at the junction of the fundus and antrum, along the lesser curvature. Benign ulcers tend to have a smooth, regular, rounded edge with a flat smooth base and surrounding mucosa that shows radiating folds. Malignant ulcers usually have irregular heaped-up or overhanging margins. The ulcerated mass often protrudes into the lumen, and the folds surrounding the ulcer crater are often nodular and irregular.
More than 95% of duodenal ulcers are found in the first part of the duodenum; most are less than 1 cm in diameter.
A meta-analysis has shown that for individuals who undergo endoscopy for dyspepsia, the most common finding is erosive esophagitis (though prevalence was lower when the Rome criteria were used to define dyspepsia) followed by peptic ulcer.
For more on endoscopy in PUD, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Jamie Shalkow. Fast Five Quiz: Review Key Aspects of Peptic Ulcer Disease - Medscape - May 11, 2017.
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