Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Gastric Fundus/pathology* ; Gastric Mucosa/pathology* ; Polyps/pathology*

Humans ; Stomach/pathology* ; Gastric Fundus/pathology* ; Gastric Mucosa/pathology* ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology*

Subphrenic splenic implantation is a rare disease, usually occurred followed the splenic trauma and splenectomy. Surgeries are often necessary for diagnosing and treating it. A 46-year-old male post-splenectomy patient, tolerating abdominal bloating and pain for more than 1 year, was admitted to the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Fundus bulge suggested a possibility of stromal tumors originating from the muscularispropria layer with endoscopic ultrasound. Slightly stomachic thickness was detected using enhanced computed tomography (CT). Without any improvement for symptoms after medication, the patient strongly requested to undergo an endoscopic therapy. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) result confirmed it as subphrenic splenic implantation with postoperative pathology. In this case, NOTES helped us to confirm the diagnosis, relieve the symptoms, as well as prevent secondary surgery injury, which would be helpful to other clinicians.
Endoscopy ; Gastric Fundus ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Splenectomy/adverse effects* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Amyloidosis is a disease in which amyloid is abnormally accumulated in the tissue. The kidney and heart are the most commonly involved organs. Gastric involvement is relatively common in systemic disease; however, localized gastric amyloidosis is rare. Here, we report a case of localized gastric amyloidosis with two separate lesions. A 56-year-old woman underwent a health surveillance checkup without any noticeable symptoms. She was under medication for diabetes and dyslipidemia, and was otherwise healthy. On surveillance upper endoscopy, an irregularly shaped hyperemic elevated erosion at the gastric fundus and a 1.5-cm, yellowish subepithelial tumor-like lesion with intact overlying mucosa at the lesser curvature of the lower body of the stomach were detected. Endoscopic biopsy revealed submucosal eosinophilic material deposition in both lesions. Congo-red staining showed amyloid deposit appearing as a yellow-green birefringence under polarizing microscopy. Echocardiography, abdominal sonography, and colonoscopy revealed no abnormality. The patient was diagnosed as having localized gastric amyloidosis and is now undergoing regular follow-up without any treatment. Localized gastric amyloidosis is a rare disease that may mimic nonspecific gastritis or subepithelial tumor. However, endoscopic biopsy with appropriate staining may be diagnostic and thorough evaluation for systemic involvement is important.
Amyloid ; Amyloidosis ; Biopsy ; Birefringence ; Colonoscopy ; Dyslipidemias ; Echocardiography ; Endoscopy ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastric Fundus ; Gastritis ; Heart ; Humans ; Kidney ; Microscopy ; Middle Aged ; Mucous Membrane ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Rare Diseases ; Stomach

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common primary mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract and usually appear as a well-circumscribed mass. However, it may be difficult to confirm the extent of the disease for some GISTs. A 70-year-old asymptomatic female presented for a regular physical exam. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a 2.0 cm protruding mass on the gastric fundus. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed an ill-defined heterogenous hypoechoic lesion (3.0×1.5 cm). A computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a 4.5 cm multifocal calcified mass at the gastric body as well as at the gastric fundus. Laparoscopic gastric wedge resection was performed according to the extent of multifocal calcifications that are shown on the CT. Intraoperative specimen mammography and intraoperative biopsy might be helpful to obtain a tumor-free margin. Final pathologic diagnosis was an intermediate risk GIST in multilobular form. In patients with diffuse multifocal calcifications in the stomach, the possibility of GIST should be considered.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Calcinosis ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gastric Fundus ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Mammography ; Stomach* ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the curative effect and safety of endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFR) in the treatment of gastric tumor originated from the muscularis propria.
 METHODS: Clinical data were collected from 34 patients, who underwent EFR of gastric tumor originated from muscularis propria, to observe the resection rate and complications from November 2012 to August 2014.
 RESULTS: Of the 34 patients, 15 were male, 19 were female, with the age of 38.3-70.6 (52.3±4.3) years old. The lesions of 25 patients located in the fundus of stomach and the rest was in the gastric body. EFR was successfully performed in the 34 patients with no need for surgery. The complete resection rate was 100%. Lesion diameter ranged from 1.0 to 5.0 (2.8±1.2) centimeters. The operation time was 50-100 (76.5±18.2) min. Patients with pneumoperitoneum were relieved after abdominal puncture exhaust, without post-operation bleeding and perforation. The hospitalization duration was 3-5 (3.6±0.8) days. Except 1 case, the remaining 33 cases were spindle cell tumors, consistent with the results of immunohistochemistry. The risk for two lesions with 4.5 cm and 5.0 cm was moderate. The risk of invasion was low or very low in the remaining 31 cases. Among them, 2 stromal tumors near the cardia showed a differentiation tendency toward smooth muscle. No lesion residual or recurrence happened during the follow-up period (range 5-23 months) in 34 cases. 
 CONCLUSION EFR is a safe and effective method for gastric tumor originated from muscularis propria.
Adult ; Aged ; Cardia ; Female ; Gastric Fundus ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Operative Time ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric schwannoma (GS), a rare neurogenic mesenchymal tumor, is usually benign, slow-growing, and asymptomatic. However, GS is often misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) on endoscopic and radiological examinations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate EUS characteristics of GS distinguished from GIST. METHODS: A total of 119 gastric subepithelial lesions, including 31 GSs and 88 GISTs, who were histologically identified and underwent EUS, were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the EUS characteristics, including location, size, gross morphology, mucosal lesion, layer of origin, border, echogenic pattern, marginal halo, and presence of an internal echoic lesion by retrospective review of the medical records. RESULTS: GS patients comprised nine males and 22 females, indicating female predominance. In the gross morphology according to Yamada's classification, type I was predominant in GS and type III was predominant in GIST. In location, GSs were predominantly located in the gastric body and GISTs were predominantly located in the cardia or fundus. The frequency of 4th layer origin and isoechogenicity as compared to the echogenicity of proper muscle layer was significantly more common in GS than GIST. Although not statistically significant, marginal halo was more frequent in GS than GIST. The presence of an internal echoic lesion was significantly more common in GIST than GS. CONCLUSIONS: The EUS characteristics, including tumor location, gross morphology, layer of origin, echogenicity in comparison with the normal muscle layer, and presence of an internal echoic lesion may be useful in distinguishing between GS and GIST.
Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endosonography ; Female ; Gastric Fundus/pathology ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/*diagnosis/diagnostic imaging/pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neurilemmoma/*diagnosis/diagnostic imaging/pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis/diagnostic imaging/pathology

Secondary achalasia or pseudoachalasia is a rare esophageal motor abnormality, which mimics primary achalasia; it is not easily distinguishable from idiopathic achalasia by manometry, radiological examination, or endoscopy. Although the majority of reported pseudoachalasia cases are associated with neoplasms at or near the esophagogastric (EG) junction, other neoplastic processes or even chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis can lead to the development of pseudoachalasia, for example, mediastinal masses, gastrointestinal (GI) tumors of the liver and biliary tract, and non-GI malignancies. Therefore, even if a patient presents with the typical findings of achalasia, we should be alert to the possibility of other GI malignancies besides EG tumors. For instance, pancreatic cancer was found in the case reported here; only four such cases have been reported in the literature. A 47-year-old man was admitted to our center with a 3-month history of dysphagia. His endoscopic and esophageal manometric findings were compatible with primary achalasia. However, unresponsiveness to diverse conventional achalasia treatments led us to suspect secondary achalasia. An active search led to a diagnosis of pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma invading the gastric fundus and EG junction. This rare case of pseudoachalasia caused by pancreatic carcinoma emphasizes the need for suspecting GI malignancies other than EG tumors in patients refractory to conventional achalasia treatment.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biliary Tract ; Chronic Disease ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Achalasia* ; Gastric Fundus ; Humans ; Liver ; Manometry ; Middle Aged ; Neoplastic Processes ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) play important functions in motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract. The role of ICC as pacemakers is well established, however their participation in neurotransmission is controversial. Studies using mutant animals that lack ICC have yielded variable conclusions on their importance in enteric motor responses. The purpose of this study was to: (1) clarify the role of intramuscular ICC (ICC-IM) in gastric motor-neurotransmission and (2) evaluate remodeling of enteric motor responses in W/W(V) mice. METHODS: Kit immunohistochemistry and post-junctional contractile responses were performed on fundus muscles from wild-type and W/W(V) mice and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to evaluate differences in muscarinic and neurokinin receptor expression. RESULTS: Although ICC-IM were greatly reduced in comparison with wild-type mice, we found that ICC-IM persisted in the fundus of many W/W(V) animals. ICC-IM were not observed in W/W(V) group 1 (46%) but were observed in W/W(V) group 2 (40%). Evoked neural responses consisted of excitatory and inhibitory components. The inhibitory component (nitrergic) was absent in W/W(V) group 1 and reduced in W/W(V) group 2. Enhanced excitatory responses (cholinergic) were observed in both W/W(V) groups and qPCR revealed that muscarinic-M3 receptor expression was significantly augmented in the W/W(V) fundus compared to wild-type controls. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that ICC-IM mediate nitrergic inhibitory neurotransmission in the fundus and provides evidence of plasticity changes in neuronal responses that may explain discrepancies in previous functional studies which utilized mutant animals to examine the role of ICC-IM in gastric enteric motor responses.
Animals ; Enteric Nervous System ; Gastric Fundus* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal* ; Mice* ; Motor Activity ; Motor Neurons* ; Muscle Relaxation ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscles ; Neurons ; Plastics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Synaptic Transmission

BACKGROUND/AIMS: DA-9701 significantly improved gastric accommodation by increasing the postprandial gastric volume. In this study, we investigated how DA-9701 affects the rat gastric fundus relaxation. METHODS: Gastric fundus muscle strips (9 longitudinal and 7 circular muscles) were obtained from rats. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) was performed at various frequencies (1, 5, 10 and 20 Hz) and train durations (1, 5, 10 and 20 seconds) to select optimal condition for experiments. Isometric force measurements were performed in response to EFS. Peak and nadir were observed during the first 1 minute after initiation of EFS in control state and after sequential addition of atropine (1 microM), DA-9701 (0.5, 5, 25 and 50 microg), N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 100 microM), MRS2500 (1 microM) and tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 microM) to the organ bath. RESULTS: The optimal frequency and duration of EFS to evoke nerve-mediated relaxation was determined as 5 Hz for 10 seconds. Addition of L-NNA in the presence of atropine and DA-9701 (50 microg) decreased nadir by inhibiting relaxation from -0.054 +/- 0.021 g to -0.022 +/- 0.015 g (P = 0.026) in longitudinal muscles. However, subsequent application of MRS2500 in the presence of atropine, DA-9701 (50 microg) and L-NNA did not affect nadir. In circular muscles, subsequent addition of L-NNA and MRS2500 in the presence of atropine and DA-9701 (50 microg) did not show significant change of nadir. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the effect of DA-9701 on the rat gastric fundus relaxation is mainly mediated by nitrergic rather than purinergic pathway.
Animals ; Atropine ; Baths ; Gastric Fundus* ; Muscles ; Rats* ; Relaxation* ; Tetrodotoxin