Objective: Analyze retrospectively the clinical, histopathological and surgical characteristics of patients with Mindtrier's disease (MD) at our Institution.
Background data: Ménétrier's disease (MD) includes hipertophy of gastric mucosa, hipo or hiperchloridria and severe hipoalbuminemia. In the literature, it has been underestimated its relationship with the development of gastric carcinoma.
Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the clinical trials of patients with MD treated surgically at our Institution during the last three decades (From 1970 through 2002).
Results: Three patients with clinical diagnosis of MD underwent total gastrectomy during the study period. All of them were corroborated histopathologically and in one patient carcinoma in situ was demonstrated in the surgical specimen.
Conclusions: There is a very limited experience with surgical treatment of MD and it is limited to patients who have severe hipoalbuminemia or associated malignant disease. However accordig to our experience and literature review, surgical treatment should be considered early in the course of the disease for the relationship between MD and gastric adenocarcinoma.