Gastric diverticulum: a contemporary review and update in management.

BACKGROUND: Gastric diverticula (GD) are the rarest form of gastrointestinal tract diverticulum, with an estimated incidence of 0.013-2.6%. GD are poorly understood and there are no established management guidelines. Only sparse updates have been published since the mid-20th century. This paper reviews the current literature and provides some suggested guidelines for the management of GD. METHODS: A search of Medline via OvidSP and Google Scholar for 'gastric diverticulum' and associated synonyms from the year 1950 onwards was performed. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort and case-control studies, and case series. Full text, English language manuscripts on adult populations were included. RESULTS: A total of 103 manuscripts were included in the final selection - 77 individual case studies, 23 case series and three reviews. No RCTs, cohort or case-control studies were found. The case studies represent 305 patients, 50.8% female with average age 49.2 years (range 18-80). The most common symptom was abdominal pain (48.2%). The average maximum diameter was 3.97 cm (range 0.5-9). One hundred and four patients were managed operatively. Despite persistent recommendations in the literature that GD > 4 cm should be considered for resection, there are no data supporting this approach. CONCLUSION: The evidence pertaining to the management of GD is sparse. The decision for operative management should be individualized and based primarily on the presence of symptoms or complications which may be directly attributable to the GD. Where surgery is indicated, a laparoscopic approach, potentially with intra-operative gastroscopy, is appropriate.

[Trust, but verify]. / Vertrauen ist gut ­ Kontrolle ist besser.

We report the case of a 39-year-old woman with a gastric diverticulum misdiagnosed as a left adrenal lesion on computed tomography imaging.

[Diagnosis and surgical treatment of symptomic stomach diverticulum]. / Diagnostika i khirurgicheskoe lechenie simptomnogo divertikula zheludka.

Gastric diverticulum is a rather rare disease. This lesion is diagnosed in about 0.01% of cases during contrast-enhanced X-ray examination and in 0.04-0.11% of patients undergoing endoscopic examination. Symptomatic diverticulum is complicated by diverticulitis, bleeding, perforation and malignant transformation. Therefore, surgical resection is indicated. We report surgical treatment of a patient with diverticulum of the cardiac part of the stomach. Endoscopic and X-ray examination was valuable to establish the correct diagnosis. Laparoscopic approach minimized surgical trauma and reduced surgery time.

A disconcerting false gastric diverticulum mimicking malignancy.

Gastric diverticula are the most uncommon form of gastrointestinal diverticula. They can either be of true or false type with different pathogenesis. They may be very challenging to diagnose as symptoms are nonspecific and imaging can simulate a malignant lesion. We report an unusual case of pre-pyloric diverticulum in a 69-year-old man, leading to severe gastric obstruction with a poor general condition. As subsequent endoscopy and imaging were alarming and couldn't exclude malignancy, the patient underwent an antrectomy. The final diagnosis was made on pathological examination. We discuss, through this case, the clinical and pathological features of gastric diverticula with an emphasis on the pathogenesis of this rare entity and the risk of a malignant transformation.

Laparoscopic resection of symptomatic gastric diverticula.

Gastric diverticula are rare and usually asymptomatic. This report, however, describes two examples of symptomatic gastric diverticula successfully treated by laparoscopic resection. Both patients were male and in their sixth decade of life. One patient was relatively healthy with no past medical history, whereas the other patient had chronic pain issues and at presentation was also undergoing evaluation for hyperaldosteronism. The patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, emesis, abdominal pain, and change in bowel function. In both cases, a gastric diverticulum was identified by CT scan, and precise anatomic position was determined by upper endoscopy. After discussion with the treating teams, including a gastroenterologist and surgeon, surgical treatment and resection was elected. Successful laparoscopic removal was accomplished in both patients, and they were discharged home after tolerating liquid diets. Both patients reported resolution of their abdominal symptoms at follow-up.

Large symptomatic gastric diverticula: two case reports and a brief review of literature.

Gastric diverticula are rare and uncommon conditions. Most gastric diverticula are asymptomatic. When symptoms arise, they are most commonly upper abdominal pain, nausea and emesis, while dyspepsia and vomiting are less common. Occasionally, patients with gastric diverticula can have dramatic presentations related to massive bleeding or perforation. The diagnosis may be difficult, as symptoms can be caused by more common gastrointestinal pathologies and only aggravated by diverticula. The appropriate management of diverticula depends mainly on the symptom pattern and as well as diverticulum size. There is no specific therapeutic strategy for an asymptomatic diverticulum. Although some authors support conservative therapy with antacids, this provides only temporary symptom relief since it is not able to resolve the underlying pathology. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment when the diverticulum is large, symptomatic or complicated by bleeding, perforation or malignancy, with over two-thirds of patients remaining symptom-free after surgery, while laparoscopic resection, combined with intraoperative endoscopy, is a safe and feasible approach with excellent outcomes. Here, we present two cases of uncommon large symptomatic gastric diverticula with a discussion of the cornerstones in management and report a minimally invasive solution, with a brief review of the literature.

[Diverticulum of the greater curvature of the stomach as a cause of anaemia]. / Divertikul velkej kurvatúry zalúdka ako prícina anemizácie.

Gastric diverticula represent a rare pathological condition. They are usually asymptomatic and are often found only by accident during radiologic or endoscopic examination, or during autopsy. Their incidence is low and evenly distributed between men and women. Gastric diverticula are most frequently located on the posterior wall of the cardia and on the lesser curvature of the stomach. The authors present a case study of a 58-year-old patient with severe sideropenic anaemia, a marked weight loss and non-specific dyspeptic symptoms. The suspicion of a diverticulum was raised by a gastroenterologist during gastrofibroscopy and confirmed by a radiologist following a dynamic CT examination of the stomach. The diverticulum had an atypical location beneath the cardia on the greater curvature. The patient was indicated for surgery. During conventional laparotomy, resection of the diverticulum was performed using a linear stapler. The postoperative course was uneventful. Histology confirmed a false diverticulum. The patient is doing well, is asymptomatic, has put on 7 kg since the operation and her blood count is normal.

Gastric diverticulum: "a wayside house of ill fame" with a laparoscopic solution.

BACKGROUND: Gastric diverticulum (GD) is an extremely rare disorder that can easily be overlooked when investigating the cause of abdominal pain. Its diagnosis is founded on a history of gastrointestinal symptoms and a typically unrevealing physical examination, and diagnosis requires confirmation from UGI contrast studies, EGD, and CT scan. Symptomatic GD should be kept in consideration as a cause of abdominal issues, because not only is it treatable, but also complications of GD can be life threatening. The surgical treatment of GDs has evolved from thoraco-abdominal incisions in the early twentieth century to the laparoscopic approach used today. CASE REPORT: The patient is a 45-y-old male presenting with a 4-mo case of dysphagia, small amounts of regurgitation, and abdominal pain but no other symptoms. RESULTS: The patient was diagnosed with a gastric diverticulum, which was subsequently successfully treated with a laparoscopic gastric diverticulectomy. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic gastric diverticulectomy is a safe procedure and should be considered as an option to treat symptomatic GD.

Adenocarcinoma arising in an intramural diverticulum presenting as a long-standing submucosal tumor.

We report a rare case of adenocarcinoma arising in a gastric partial diverticulum in the upper portion of the stomach. The lesion had been followed up for approximately 14 years as a gastric submucosal tumor. However, a recent regular check-up revealed mucous material with some neoplastic tissue discharged from the top of the lesion. A surgically resected specimen showed a well-demarcated submucosal lesion identical to a pseudo-diverticulum carrying a distinctive intramucosal minimally invasive adenocarcinoma in part, with surrounding non-neoplastic but hyperplastic mucosal components. Intestinal phenotype, along with gastric foveolar, pyloric gland-type phenotypes, and neoplastic cells with neuroendocrine differentiation, were also identified in the adenocarcinoma. Chronic and persistent irritation within the diverticulum was postulated to be implicated in the carcinogenesis of the lesion, which carried no definite Helicobacter pylori microorganisms. We believe it is crucial not to overlook carcinoma in a diverticulum presenting as a long-standing submucosal tumor.