As the number of patients requiring operation for peptic ulcer disease (PUD) declines, presumed contemporary ulcer etiology has largely been derived from medically treated patients not subjected to surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine the specific causes of PUD in patients requiring surgery. Our Acute Care Surgical Service registry was reviewed for patients operated on for complications of PUD from 2004 to 2009. Emphasis was placed on individual etiologic factors for PUD. There were 128 patients (52% male, 81% white) who underwent emergency operation including: simple patch closure (n = 61, 48%); gastric resection (n = 22, 17%); gastric resection with vagotomy (n = 21,16%); vagotomy and pyloroplasty (n = 18,14%); or other procedures (n = 6, 5%). Complications necessitating operation were perforation (n = 79, 62%); bleeding (n = 29, 23%); obstruction (n = 12, 9%); and intractability (n = 8, 6%). Perioperative mortality was 12.5 per cent. Risk factors for PUD included tobacco use (50%), alcohol abuse (34%), and steroids (21%). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use was confirmed in 68 (53%) patients. Of the 128 patients, 82 (64%) were tested for Helicobacter pylori, 33 (40%) of which were positive and 49 (60%) negative. Helicobacter pylori, thus, was the confirmed ulcer etiology in only 26 per cent of cases. Unlike contemporary series of medically treated PUD, Helicobacter pylori may not be the predominant etiologic factor in patients who experience complications requiring surgery. A “traditional” surgical approach with liberal use of vagotomy, not antibiotic triple therapy, may well be the preferred treatment consideration in such cases.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard treatment for benign gallbladder pathologies. In certain circumstances, the procedure must be converted to open to safely complete the operation. This study aims to evaluate the reasons for conversion of this operation in the current era of laparoscopic surgery. A retrospective review of medical records was undertaken to identify all laparoscopic converted to open cholecystectomy performed at a single center over a 2-year period. Reasons for conversion, surgeon's preoperative indications, and specimen pathologic results were documented. A review of published data from the previous two decades was also conducted for comparison of contemporary versus historical reasons for intraoperative conversion. Between May 2008 and April 2010, 3371 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. Eighty-six patients (2.6%) required conversion to open cholecystectomy during the study period. A diagnosis of acute cholecystitis (58.8%) was more common among converted cases. Inflammation (35%), adhesions (28%), and anatomic difficulty (22%) were the three most common intraoperative findings leading to conversion. In the years since laparoscopic cholecystectomy was introduced, there has been a noted improvement in the quality of laparoscopic equipment affording a near wholesale shift toward the laparoscopic approach in the surgical management of this condition. However, inflammation, adhesions, and anatomic difficulty continue to challenge the use and safety of this approach in a small number of patients. The willingness and ability of surgeons to convert to open cholecystectomy continues to be important to the safety of this operation.