Utilization of upper endoscopy for surveillance of gastric ulcers in the United States

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend that all gastric ulcers (GUs) be biopsied extensively to exclude underlying malignancy. However, many gastroenterologists opt to also perform surveillance endoscopy (EGD) to document ulcer healing. The purpose of this study was to examine frequency of utilization of surveillance EGD in patients found to have GUs using a national endoscopic database. METHODS: The Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative (CORI) database was used to identify ambulatory patients diagnosed with a GU between 2001 and 2005. A surveillance EGD was defined as any EGD performed