ESOGASTROINTESTINAL FIBEROPTIC ENDOSCOPY FINDINGS IN PATIENTS EVALUATED FOR HEMATEMESIS IN GABON OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD

From January 1982 through December 1991, 267 patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Libreville Hospital for hematemesis. At least one lesion was seen in 206 patients. The source of bleeding was often identified in patients who were examined within 48 hours of the hematemesis. Exposure to gastrotoxic drugs was reported by 25 of t he 27 patients in whom it was looked for. Esophageal varices and erosi ve gastritis were the most common lesions overall. Among patients who were examined during the bleeding episode, 40.5% had erosive gastritis , 31% a duodenal ulcer, 26.3% a Mallory-Weiss syndrome, 15% erosive du odenitis, 14% esophageal varices, and 5% esophagitis. Improvements in health care organization would allow to perform upper gastrointestinal endoscopy sooner after the hematemesis and, therefore, would increase the yield of this investigation.