Watermelon stomach: not only an antral disease.

BACKGROUND: Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a source of GI bleeding. Several associated conditions have been recognized. However, there is little information on the occurrence of ectatic lesions in regions of the stomach other than the antrum, that is, the cardia. Patients in whom a diagnosis of GAVE was made from 1990 to 2000 are presented with an emphasis on the frequency of contemporaneous ectatic lesions in the gastric cardia. METHODS: A diagnosis of GAVE was made in 17 patients. Concurrent disorders were identified. After 1996, all patients with GAVE were systematically examined for ectatic changes in the cardia. RESULTS: Several of the 17 patients had lesions in the cardia, 2 of 9 being identified before 1996 and 5 of 8 after 1996. The most common comorbid conditions were liver (n = 5) and heart disease (n = 4). CONCLUSION: Ectatic lesions in the cardia are common in patients with GAVE. The significance of this finding remains to be investigated.