ULCER OF THE GREATER GASTRIC CURVATURE

Benign gastric ulcer of the greater curvature is deemed by some to be extremely rare. Lahey1states that he has never seen this condition. Allen and Welsh,2in a review of gastric ulcers removed surgically, report that in their series 100% of the ulcers of the greater curvature were malignant. Boudreau and co-workers,3on the other hand, described 234 gastric ulcers discovered at autopsy; 47 were found to be on the greater curvature, and, of these, 24 (51%) were benign. Palmer states that among 100 patients with benign gastric ulcer 9 (9%) had ulcers of the greater curvature.4We have been able to establish the diagnosis of benign ulcer of the greater curvature clinically (confirmed at surgery) in four patients from the large gastroenterology services of two hospitals and in two others in a private practice devoted exclusively to gastroenterology. Review of the autopsy material in