Phlegmonous Gastritis Caused by Penetration of a Toothpick / 대한소화기학회지

Phlegmonous gastritis is a disease caused by a bacterial infection of the gastric wall. This condition is rare, but when it does occur, its prognosis appears to be poor. The underlying etiology is largely unknown, but an immunocompromised state is considered an important risk factor. An 85-year-old woman presented with a confused mentality, fever, epigastric pain, and melena. There was no history of alcohol drinking or smoking, nor of previous gastric surgery. On the other hand, there was a history of senile dementia and cognitive impairment. Initial contrast-enhanced abdominal CT revealed gastric wall edema at the antrum with mucosal hyper-enhancement and an abscess in the thickened antrum. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy on the fourth hospital day showed dark-colored fluid retention in the stomach. The gastric mucosa was inflamed and friable, with several ulcerative lesions showing purulent discharge. A toothpick was found in the process of identifying the base of the ulcerative lesion and was removed. Eventually, phlegmonous gastritis due to the penetration of a toothpick was diagnosed. After endoscopic toothpick removal, the patient's symptoms improved dramatically. Serial endoscopy revealed improvement in the gastric mucosa. This case is an example of phlegmonous gastritis caused by a foreign substance in the gastric wall of a patient with senile dementia. During upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in this case, identification of the base of ulcerative lesion played a critical role in the diagnosis.

Phlegmonous Gastritis with Early Gastric Cancer

Phlegmonous gastritis is a rare and rapidly progressive bacterial infection of the stomach wall, with a high mortality rate. Antibiotics with or without surgical treatment are required for treatment. We present a case in which phlegmonous gastritis occurred during the diagnostic evaluation of early gastric cancer. The patient showed improvement after antibiotic treatment, but attempted endoscopic submucosal dissection failed because of submucosal pus. We immediately applied argon plasma coagulation since surgical resection was also considered a high-risk procedure because of the submucosal pus and multiple comorbidities. However, there was local recurrence two years later, and the patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. Considering the risk of incomplete treatment immediately after recovery from phlegmonous gastritis and that recurrent disease can be more difficult to manage, delaying treatment and evaluation until after complete recovery of PG might be a better option in this particular clinical situation.

A Case of Acute Phlegmonous Gastritis Diagnosed with Endoscopic Submucosal Biopsy and Bacterial Culture and Improved by Antibiotics Treatment

Phlegmonous gastritis is a rare disease of acute suppurative inflammation in the stomach wall. It is rapidly progressive and potentially fatal. Its mortality rate remains very high because the clinical diagnosis is often delayed. Many patients with phlegmonous gastritis undergo surgery. We present the case of 63-year-old woman with epigastric pain, fever, nausea and vomiting. The presumed diagnosis of acute phlegmonous gastritis was made by esophagogastroduodenoscopy, abdominal computed tomography, endoscopic ultrasonography and deep submucosal biopsy assisted with hook knife. Acinetobacter baumannii was cultured in the aspiration from the stomach. We treated the patient with antibiotics alone. Early recognition of phlegmonous gastritis by endoscopic biopsies and bacteriological study may improve the prognosis of these patient.

A Case of Focal Intramural Abscess Due to a Fish Bone Ingestion in a Healthy Middle Aged Woman / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Gastric wall abscess is a one form of phlegmonous gastritis and there are scare reports on this. Gastric wall abscess is a purulent inflammatory disease and it is commonly caused by a focal injury to the gastric mucosa such as a penetrating trauma from an ingested foreign body or an endoscopic biopsy where by bacterial infection occurs throughout all the layers of the gastric wall. With symptoms such as abdominal pain and fever, making the diagnosis after an operation was possible in the past, but it has recently become possible to make the diagnosis before the operation via esophagogastroduodenoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography and/or abdominal computed tomography. We recently experienced a case of gastric wall abscess that was associated with a foreign body (presumably a fish bone) in a healthy middle aged woman. By performing generalized esophagogastroduodenoscopy and abdominal computed tomography at a primary medical institution, we made an early diagnosis and treated the patient. Herein, we report on this case and we review the relevant literature.

A Case of Acute Phlegmonous Gastritis Causing Gastroparesis and Cured with Medical Treatment Alone / 대한소화기학회지

Acute phlegmonous gastritis is an uncommon disease, often fatal condition characterized by suppurative bacterial infection of the gastric wall. It has a high mortality rate mainly because the diagnosis is usually made late. Until recently, gastrectomy in combination with antibiotics was recommended. We had experienced a case of 66-year-old man presented with epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and hematemesis, followed by aspiration pneumonia. At upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, the gastric lumen was narrow, and the mucosa was severely inflamed, which was erythematous, swelled, and showed necrotic areas covered with purulent exudate. Klebsiella oxytoca and Acinetobacter lwoffii were isolated in the gastric tissue culture. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography scan of abdomen demonstrated diffuse gastric wall thickening and an intramural abscess in the gastric antral wall. Although delayed gastric emptying by gastroparesis prolonged the in-hospital period, the only medical treatment with antibiotics alone successfully cured the patient without gastrectomy.

A Case of Phlegmonous Gastritis Associated with Marked Gastric Distension

Phlegmonous gastritis is an acute and severe infectious disease that is occasionally fatal if the diagnosis is delayed. Alcohol consumption, an immunocompromised state (e.g., due to HIV infection, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, or adult T-cell lymphoma), and mucosal injury of the stomach are reported to be predisposing factors. The main treatments for phlegmonous gastritis are antibiotics administration or surgery. In this case, the patient's stomach was markedly distended due to long-lasting gastric-outlet obstruction, which is thought to be the predisposing factor for phlegmonous gastritis. We inserted a metal stent at the obstructed site palliatively due to strong refusal by the patient for surgery. The patient recovered after stenting and antibiotic therapy.

A Case of Acute Phlegmonous Gastritis Treated with Antibiotics Alone / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Acute phlegmonous gastritis is a rare disorder in which bacterial infection occurs in the gastric wall. Gastrectomy involving the affected area has been thought to be an effective form of treatment. The mortality rate remains extremely high despite therapy with antibiotics. The authors report a case of a 59-year-old man who had severe abdominal pain with signs of peritonitis. Endoscopy showed edematous and thickened mucosal fold with narrow lumen and yellow, whitish exudate-like materials on mucosal surface in the whole stomach. Gastric juice culture revealed the growth of Enterococcus faecalis. Contrast-enhanced CT scan of abdomen showed diffuse extensive mural thickening with hypodense area from the fundus to the antrum. The lumen was narrowed, but there was no gastric outlet obstruction. There was marked thickening of gastric wall (submucosal layer) on EUS examination. Through early diagnosis without laparotomy, the patient was successfully treated with antibiotics alone without complication.

A Case of Gastric Wall Abscess Associated with Gastritis Cystica Profunda / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Gastric wall abscess is a form of phlegmonous gastritis and has been very rarely reported. The pathogenesis of gastric wall abscess is thought to involve a focal injury to the gastric mucosa such as a penetrating trauma from an ingested foreign body or an endoscopic biopsy, where by bacterial infection occurs. Gastritis cystica profunda is a rare disease in which hyperplasia of mature glandular epithelium extends into the tissues beneath the submucosa. It shows multiple small cysts in the mucosa and submucosa of the stomach. To our knowledge, the association of gastric wall abscess with gastritis cystica profunda has never been reported yet. We, recently, experienced a case of gastric wall abcess associated with gastritis cystica profunda. Herein, we report it with a brief review with literatures.

Acute Phlegmonous Gastritis Diagnosed Early Endoscopically and Treated Successfully with Antibiotics / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Phlegmonous gastritis is a rare disorder caused by suppurative bacterial infection of the gastric wall. The mortality rate remains extremely high and the gastrectomy has been thought to be an effective form of treatment. We report a case of acute phlegmonous gastritis developed in a patient with advanced alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and recovered with early endoscopic diagnosis and antibiotics alone.

Two Cases of Acute Phlegmonous Gastritis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

We had experienced 2 cases of acute phlegmonous gastritis confirmed by endoscopy, microbiological study and surgical pathologic findings. The first was a 61- year-old female who had been diagnosed as the communicating hydrocephalus and the other was a healthy 60-year-old female. Enterococcus fecalis & Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus fecalis & E.coli were cultured from the gastric tissue and juice obtained by endoscopy in each patient. In both patients, endoscopic findings showed numerous large ulcers and edema with necrotic material and exudate over the whole stomach. Operation findings were markedly edematous and overall ulcerative mucosa in one patient, and hyperemic outlet stricture in the other. Pathologic findings were acute necrotizing inflammation, involving the mucosa and submucosal layer, consistent with acute phlegmonous gastritis. After operation and antibiotics therapy, the patients were rapidly improved. We reported 2 cases of acute phlegmonous gastritis with the review of literature.