[A case of watermelon stomach]

Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 1994 Jun;40(2):95-8.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

The authors describe a case of antral Watermelon Stomach (WS) in a seventy-eight year old woman with severe iron-deficient chronic anemia, liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus. Endoscopy was diagnostic on the 3rd-4th examination because of the disease's rarity and the concomitance of systemic pathologies, such as portal hypertension, in which often a congestive gastropathy with similar aspects is associated. Whether out of clinical evolution, or capillary thrombosis, or vertical fibromuscular hyperplasia of the lamina propria were considered distinctive elements. By means of literature review it wasn't possible to establish the portal hypertension's prevalence out of the WS cases, but it could be a chance factor. In this way some polycentric prospective trials could be useful. The endoscopic practice is important not only for diagnosis but also for therapeutical means, even if in our case surgery was the chosen treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anemia, Hypochromic / complications
  • Endoscopy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Cirrhosis / complications
  • Stomach / pathology
  • Stomach Diseases* / diagnosis
  • Stomach Diseases* / pathology
  • Syndrome