Comparison of conservative treatment and surgical treatment for upper gastrointestinal perforation

Abstract

Objective To compare the efficacy of conservative treatment with that of surgical treatment for upper gastrointestinal perforation.Methods 126 patients with upper gastrointestinal perforation who had been hospitalized during the period of October 2009 to October 2011 received conservative treatment ( 58 patients ),or surgical treatment ( 68 patients ).The cure rate and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the two groups.Results In the group with conservative treatment,53 patients recovered,two occurred complications,and three patients needed to have surgical treatment,with a cure rate of 91.4％ and a rate of complications of 3.4％.While in the group with surgical treatment,59 patients were cured,eight developed complications,one was dead,with a cure rate of 86.8％ and a rate of complications of 8.8％.There was no significant difference between the two therapies in the cure rate ( P＞ 0.05 ) but the rate of complications was significantly lower in the group with conservative treatment than the group with surgical treatment ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions The patients who meet the criteria for conservative treatment should receive conservative treatment first,which can reduce the incidence rate of complications and the cost of treatment. Key words: Upper gastrointestinal perforation; Conservative treatment; Surgical treatment