REPAIR IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC ULCERS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 60  (5) , 393-398
Abstract
The process of ulcer healing is still incompletely understood and the cause of delayed healing in chronic ulcers is unknown. Certain aspects of epithelial repair in experimental ulcers, i.e., mitotic activity, cell migration and cell re-establishment with differentiation, were studied using EM and light microscopy. The findings were compared with similar observations on human gastric and venous ulcers. Increased mitotic activity and attempted cell migration persist throughout epithelialization of experimental lesions and the chronicity of human ulcers cannot be explained by a lack of new epithelial cell production or failure of these cells to assume a migratory form. Some other basic defect in the healing process must therefore be present.