A surgically treated case of severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage with gastritis cystica polyposa.

BACKGROUND: Gastritis cystica polyposa (GCP) is a recently recognized entity histologically characterized by hyperplasia and cystic dilatation of the gastric glands spreading through the submucosal layer. Its symptoms include those affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract, such as upper abdominal pain, nausea, and anorexia, although some patients might be asymptomatic. GCP rarely causes severe hemorrhage. Recently, we encountered a GCP case that exhibited severe hemorrhage. CASE PRESENTATION: A 53 year-old man visited the emergency department complaining of hematemesis. He underwent distal gastrectomy and Billroth II reconstruction for duodenal ulcers 32 years ago. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy detected bleeding from the reddened mucosa at the anastomosis; thus, tentative endoscopic hemostasis was conducted. Despite medical treatment with transfusion, melena with significant hemodynamic impairment persisted. He was treated again with endoscopic hemostasis and interventional radiology (IVR) but remained unresponsive to these procedures. He eventually underwent partial resection of the anastomosis site with Roux-en-Y reconstruction and finally achieved excellent postoperative recovery. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen suggested a GCP bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: GCP can indeed cause severe hemorrhage. Hemorrhage caused by GCP may not respond to endoscopic hemostasis or IVR; therefore, surgical treatment should be decided without delay.

A pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm undergoing intriguing morphological changes over time and associated with recurrent pancreatitis: A case report.

RATIONALE: Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are pancreatic mucin-producing cystic lesions with a distinctive ovarian-type stroma. The diagnosis is generally easy in typical cases; however, differential diagnosis is difficult in others such as in the case we report herein. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 27-year-old woman with sudden onset of epigastric pain was referred to our hospital for suspected acute pancreatitis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a 25-mm cystic lesion in the pancreas and a low density area with delayed enhancement at the right upper side of the cystic lesion. DIAGNOSES: During its clinical course, the cystic lesion underwent various morphological changes. Eventually, it presented typical findings of MCNs, and could be accurately diagnosed. INTERVENTIONS: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy was performed on the patient by preserving the spleen. OUTCOMES: The patient revealed no symptoms till 1 year after the operation. LESSONS: This case of MCN with intriguing short-term morphological changes was associated with recurrent pancreatitis. A combination of imaging modalities is essential for accurate diagnosis of MCNs, and follow-up with serial imaging might be useful for certain unusual lesions.

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis following alpha-glucosidase inhibitor treatment: a case report and review of the literature.

A 69-year-old man was diagnosed as having myasthenia gravis (MG) in September 2004, and treated with thymectomy and prednisolone. He was then diagnosed as having steroid-induced diabetes mellitus, and received sulfonylurea (SU) therapy in May 2005. An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor (alphaGI) was added in March 2006, resulting in good glycemic control. He experienced symptoms of abdominal distention, increased flatus, and constipation in October 2007, and was admitted into our hospital in late November with hematochezia. Plain abdominal radiography revealed small linear radiolucent clusters in the wall of the colon. Computed tomography (CT) showed intramural air in the sigmoid colon. Colonoscopy revealed multiple smooth surfaced hemispherical protrusions in the sigmoid colon. The diagnosis of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) was made on the basis of these findings. As the alphaGI voglibose was suspected as the cause of this patient's PCI, treatment was conservative, ceasing voglibose, with fasting and fluid supplementation. The patient progressed well, and was discharged 2 wk later. Recently, several reports of PCI associated with alphaGI therapy have been published, predominantly in Japan where alphaGIs are commonly used. If the use of alphaGIs becomes more widespread, we can expect more reports of this condition on a global scale. The possibility of PCI should be considered in diabetic patients complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms, and the gastrointestinal tract should be thoroughly investigated in these patients.