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A double-blind evaluation of gastric "freezing" in the treatment of duodenal ulcer was initiated in 1963 and conducted simultaneously in five institutions. One group of patients had the true "freeze" with the temperature of the coolant at -10°C and another group had a sham procedure with the temperature of the coolant at 37°C. The results of this study demonstrate conclusively that the "freezing" procedure is no better than the sham in the treatment of duodenal ulcer, confirming the work of others. There was no significant difference in relief of pain, secretory suppression, the number and severity of recurrences, or the development of end points in the two groups. It is reasonable to assume that the relief of pain and subjective improvement reported by early investigators were probably due to the psychologic effect of the procedure.
Ruffin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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