The incidence of duodenogastric reflux and its relation to stomach and duodenal diseases

The data available in the literature on the incidence of duodenogastric reflux and its relation with diseases of the stomach and duodenum are controversial. A study was performed based on the results of 4256 primary endoscopies of the stomach and duodenum: 3673 in nonoperated patients and 583 in patients having undergone vagotomy and resection. For duodenogastric reflux one judged from the yellow coloration of the gastric juice and regurgitation of bile at the moment of examination. Reflux had 428 patients (10.05 per cent)--330 in the nonoperated group (8.98 per cent) and 98 in the operated group (16.81 per cent). Inference is drawn that duodenogastric reflux does not coincide in incidence with reflux gastritis and that causal relation might be searched between gastritis, reflux esophagitis and duodenitis, on the one hand, and duodenogastric reflux, on the other.