Gastric duplication cyst. Scintigraphy and correlative imaging

Complete gastric duplication in an adult with associated anomalies

Gastric duplication is a rare congenital developmental abnormality usually encountered in children. Nearly all reported cases of this entity describe noncommunicating-type duplication cysts. We present an extremely rare case of complete gastric duplication, involving two separate gastric lumens with proximal and distal communication, incidentally discovered in an elderly male in association with various congenital anomalies not previously reported in literature, as diagnosed with computed tomographic scan and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Congenital anomalies of the gastrointestinal tract diagnosed in adulthood--diagnosis and management

INTRODUCTION

Congenital anomalies of the gastrointestinal tract are a significant cause of morbidity in children and less frequently in adults. In rare cases, they may run undetected during childhood and may present during adolescence. These abnormalities include developmental obstructive defects of the duodenum and the small intestine, anomalies of rotation and fixation, intestinal duplications, and anomalies of the colon and rectum.

DISCUSSION

When detected in adulthood, they may require different evaluation and surgical correction. Some of these anomalies should be managed surgically as soon as they cause symptoms. Others may cause persistent problems in adulthood requiring medical management for years. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of all the different ways of diagnosis and management of these anomalies reported in the literature.

Unusual case of massive hemorrhage of a gastric duplication cyst in a very advanced age

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to report an unusual case of gastric duplication in an 82-year-old female patient.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The patient was treated immediately by Billroth I partial gastrectomy due to massive hematemesis. The surgical specimen was histopathologically examined.

RESULTS

The histopathologic report confirmed the operative diagnosis of a gastric duplication cyst. Gastric duplication cysts are rare congenital abnormalities occurring mainly in the pediatric population and rarely in adults. They account for 2% to 7% of all gastrointestinal duplications, having a male to female ratio of 2:1 (Agha et al., AJR Am J Roentgenol 137:406-407, 1981; Macpherson, Radiographics 13:1063-1080, 1993).

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric duplication cysts present with a variety of symptoms and complications including hematemesis. The massive upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in our octogenarian patient indicates that there is no age limit in clinical manifestations of this rather common in the pediatric population, congenital malformation of the stomach.

Asymptomatic gastric duplication in a child: report of a new case and review of the literature

Antral duplication cyst with an antral mucosal lining accounts for 2.2% of all gastric duplications, which represent 4-8% of all alimentary tract duplications. They usually become symptomatic before 2 years of age. We report a 6-year-old child with no previous history of symptoms who was admitted to our hospital because of frequent vomiting and acute abdominal pains for the previous 2 days. Abdominal examination revealed a mass in the epigastric area.

Laparoscopic excision of a gastric duplication cyst detected on antenatal ultrasound scan

The authors report a gastric duplication cyst detected antenatally and its subsequent laparoscopic removal at 2 months of age. Before birth, a cystic mass was detected behind the stomach on fetal ultrasound scan (US). After birth, an US, barium meal, nuclide scan, and cervical and thoracic vertebral x-rays suggested that the most probably diagnosis was a gastric duplication cyst. At 2 months of age, laparoscopic removal of the cyst was performed with closure of the muscle defect in the stomach wall. The patient was discharged 4 days later, feeding normally. Histology findings confirmed the diagnosis of a gastric duplication cyst. After the antenatal detection of a cyst behind the stomach, the laparoscopic removal of this gastric duplication in a 2 month old was accomplished without complications. This appears to be the first reported case using this type of procedure in an infant.

Diagnosis and treatment of foregut duplications

In its broadest sense, the term, foregut duplication encompasses the full spectrum of developmental aberrations of the embryonic foregut (bronchopulmonary and alimentary tract). Evidence is emerging that the notochord may have a pivotal role to play in foregut development through the Shh-GLi signalling pathway. The investigation and management of these lesions depends on the clinical presentation and the level of the foregut affected. The presentation of symptomatic foregut duplications also depends on any space-occupying effect they exert and where specific complications related to the malformation occur, such as when the mucosal lining contains acid-secreting cells. In a minority of cases, (eg, where they cause respiratory compromise or spinal cord compression) urgent intervention is required. In the remainder, precise diagnostic imaging according to the level and location of the foregut duplication provides the necessary information to plan surgical excision of the lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging best shows the relationships of complex bronchopulmonary foregut malformations and associated anomalies of the spine. eg, neurenteric canal. Most lesions can be excised with minimal morbidity. Minimal-access surgical techniques can be applied to the simpler cysts, particularly some bronchogenic cysts. Thoraco-abdominal duplications and neurenteric cysts require careful preoperative delineation and more complex surgery.

Gastrointestinal duplications

Gastrointestinal duplications are rare congenital lesions that can develop anywhere along the alimentary tract and may present in the newborn period as an abdominal mass. They are differentiated from other intraabdominal cystic lesions by the presence of a normal gastrointestinal mucosal lining. Multiple theories have been proposed to account for these lesions; however, no single theory adequately explains all the known duplications. They are most frequently single, tubular, or cystic and located on the mesenteric side of the native alimentary tract structure. Symptoms often are related to the location of the duplication; oral and esophageal lesions can create respiratory difficulties, whereas lower gastrointestinal lesions may cause nausea, vomiting, bleeding, perforation, or obstruction. Treatment is resection with care taken to protect the common blood supply of the native structures. Occasionally, a partial resection with mucosal excision is required to preserve intestinal mucosa.