Gastric heterotopia in the rectum. a rare cause of ectopic gastric tissue

Gastric heterotopia refers to the discovery of normal gastric tissue at foreign, unexpected sites. It has been described anywhere in the alimentary tract, even in the mediastinum, scrotum, and spinal cord. It is not uncommonly seen in the oesophagus or small intestine. However, large bowel lesions are rare, with the most common location of colonic lesions is the rectum. Although it is a rare entity, it may be the source for significant problems such as rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, deep rectal pain, and malignancy. Here, we report an additional case of gastric heterotopia in the rectum of a 56 year old gentleman, and review the literature

case of acute oesophageal necrosis [AEN] in a hypothermic patient. The grave prognosis of the black oesophagus

Acute oesophageal necrosis, also known as black oesophagus, is a rare, and potentially lethal syndrome which is often diagnosed incidentally during upper endoscopy for evaluation of upper gastrointestinal bleed. It is characterised by diffuse circumferential black mucosal discolouration in the distal oesophagus secondary to necrosis that may extend proximally to involve variable length of the oesophagus. One theory of pathogenesis is that the relatively low perfusion state in the distal areas of the oesophagus makes it susceptible to mucosal injury. We present a case of acute oesophageal necrosis in a 62 year-old lady with history of alcoholic cirrhosis who presented with haematemesis and severe hypothermia, and was eventually found to have acute oesophageal necrosis