The pattern of mucosal blood flow in normal human stomachs, and benign
gastric ulcers was assesed with laser Doppler flowmetry and the relationship
between a single determination of ulcer blood flow and the systemic level of
growth factors was investigated.
A significant ascending gradient in mucosal blood flow from the antrum to
fundus was demonstrated. Different levels of cellular activity in the regions of the stomach may explain this gradient. In the gastric ulcers that healed on standard medical therapy mucosal blood flow was significantly increased in comparison to normal stomachs. In the ulcers that were refractory to standard medical therapy mucosal blood flow was significantly lower than in normal stomachs and healing ulcers. Higher systemic levels of the growth factor bFGF were demonstrated in healing ulcers compared to non-healing ulcers.
Gastric mucosal blood flow can increase in response to the increased
metabolic demands of healing, however impairment of this response may be
an important factor preventing healing of benign gastric ulcers. It would
appear that non-healing of gastric ulcers can be predicted at initial diagnosis by reduced peri-ulcer gastric mucosal blood flow and low blood levels of bFGF. / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/7673 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Clarke, D. L. |
| Contributors | Thomson, S. R. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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