Intramural gastric air in an acutely ill patient with endoscopic and surgical correlation

Sofia Athanasiou; Christina Aslanidi; Aikaterini Sarri; Panagiotis Prigouris; Charikleia S Vrettou; Aikaterini Pavlopoulou

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2020.04.050

Intramural gastric air in an acutely ill patient with endoscopic and surgical correlation

Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Jun 5;15(8):1155-1158. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.04.050. eCollection 2020 Aug.

Authors

Sofia Athanasiou¹, Christina Aslanidi¹, Aikaterini Sarri², Panagiotis Prigouris³, Charikleia S Vrettou², Aikaterini Pavlopoulou⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of CT-MRI, Evangelismos General Hospital, Ipsilantou 45-47, Attiki, 10676 Athens, Greece.
² 1st Department of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
³ 4th Surgical Department, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
⁴ Department of CT-MRI, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Intramural gastric air is a rare but potentially life-threatening imaging finding. We present the case of a 56-year-old female patient with a history of schizophrenia, who presented with multiple episodes of vomiting and altered mental status. CT scan revealed intramural gastric air and portal venous gas. The patient was treated conservatively with a favorable outcome. Gastric emphysema and emphysematous gastritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of air in the gastric wall. It is critical to distinguish between these 2 entities as their clinical course and management differ significantly, although radiographic findings may mimic each other.

Keywords: Emphysematous gastritis; Gastric emphysema; Gastric pneumatosis; Intramural gastric air; Portal venous gas.

Publication types

Case Reports