International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ISSN: 2995-2301) | Volume 2, Issue 1 | Case Report | Open Access
Fulvia Terracciano*
Fulvia Terracciano1*, Veronica Nassisi2, Antonella Marra1, Fabrizio Bossa1, Marco Umberto Scaramozzino3 and Francesco Perri1
1Division of Gastroenterology & Endoscopy, IRCCS, Fondazione Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Italy
2Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98122, Messina, Italy
3Director Ambulatory of Pulmonology “La Madonnina” Reggio Calabria (RC), Italy
*Correspondence to: Fulvia Terracciano
Fulltext PDFBackground: Variceal bleeding is a gastrointestinal emergency that is one of the major causes of death in patients with cirrhosis. Although the incidence of bleeding from gastric varices is relatively low (10%-36%), the bleeding is massive, increasing the patient's mortality. Thus, diagnosis and classification of gastric varices are essential. Case presentation: in this report, we describe the case of a man with cirrhosis who underwent gastroscopy for complete eradication of esophageal varices. A rounded bulging lesion covered with normal mucosa of the gastric fundus described as a submucosal neoformation was identified. Before endoscopic ultrasonography, transabdominal ultrasound was performed showing an anechoic lesion in the same gastric area. To verify whether it was the same lesion found on gastroscopy, endoscopic ultrasound was performed and confirmed that it was just a gastric varices. Conclusion: although sometimes gastric varices may be confused with large gastric folds or submucosal tumors, gastroscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis, and endoscopic ultrasound helps to differentiate between them. Both methods are accompanied by potential risks. In our case, transabdominal ultrasound was able to identify a suspected submucosal lesion on gastroscopy as a gastric varice.
Transabdominal ultrasound; Endoscopic ultrasound; Color doppler examination; Gastric varices; Case report
Fulvia Terracciano, Veronica Nassisi, Antonella Marra, Fabrizio Bossa, Marco Umberto Scaramozzino and Francesco Perri.Can Transabdominal Ultrasound Avoid an Endoscopic Ultrasonography to Diagnose Gastric Varices? A Case Report. Int Jour Gastro Hepat. 2023;2(1):1-6.