Production of Epigastric Pain in Duodenal Ulcer by Lower Oesophageal Acid Perfusion

Thirty-six patients with duodenal ulceration were divided into group 1 (30), who had epigastric pain, and group 2 (6), who had pain in the upper abdomen but not in the epigastrium, and were studied by perfusing the lower oesophagus with dilute acid in an attempt to reproduce epigastric pain. In group 1, 25 suffered epigastric pain, indistinguishable from that which they normally had, after perfusion of 30 ml. of 0·1N HC1 in under four minutes (mean values), but none of group 2 had pain.