[Comparison of 2 treatment schemes to eradicate Helicobacter pylori].

Introduction: Anti secretory drugs, antimicrobials and bismuth salts are used with variable success to eradicate Helicobacter pylori.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness and rates of reinfection of two therapeutic modalities H pylori infection in adult patients with duodenal ulcer or non ulcer dyspepsia.

Methods: During upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, 5 antral and 2 fundic biopsies were obtained and sent for microbiological and anatomopathological study.

[Non ulcerative dyspepsia: relationship of symptomatology, gastritis and Helicobacter pylori].

Background: histological alterations of gastric mucosa and its colonization by Helicobacter pylori are postuled to be implicated in the pathogenesis of non ulcer dyspepsia.

Aim: to study the possible relationships between histological gastritis and Helicobacter pylori in non ulcer dyspepsia symptomatology.

Patients And Methods: fifty four patients (39 females) with non ulcer dyspepsia whose ages ranged from 17 to 68 years were subjected to an upper GI endoscopy with gastric mucosa biopsy samples for histological study and microbiological identification of Helicobacter pylori.

[Effectiveness and safety of 150 mg vs 300 mg ranitidine twice a day in duodenal ulcer].

394 patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer were randomly allocated to treatment with ranitidine 150 bid o ranitidine 300 mg bid in a prospective double-blind multicenter trial conducted in seven LatinoAmerican countries. Endoscopy at 4 weeks showed complete ulcer healing en 171 of 196 patients (87.2%) treated with ranitidine 150 mg bid and 178 of 198 (89.

[Treatment of gastric ulcer with sucralfate and famotidine].

We conducted a double blind random study on 79 patients with gastric ulcer: 39 received sucralfate, 1 g 4 times a day (Group 1) and 40 received a single evening dose of famotidine, 40 mg (Group 2). At 4 weeks, endoscopy revealed healing of the ulcer in 46% of patients in Group 1 and 40% in Group 2 (NS). At 8 weeks, corresponding figures were 90% and 75% (NS).

[Gastric cancer: advances in diagnosis and treatment].

The number of deaths from gastric cancer has decreased in the last decade in Chile, in spite of a constant number of admissions for the disease. The decrease in mortality may be ascribed to epidemiologic factors and advances in diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The main aspects of current radiologic and endoscopic diagnosis of gastric cancer, as well as criteria for surgical resection are discussed.