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Case Reports
. 2020 Jan-Dec:8:2324709620940482.
doi: 10.1177/2324709620940482.

Metastatic Calcinosis of Gastric Mucosa

Vatsalya Kosuru  1 , Azeem Mohammed  1 , Rajan Kapoor  1 , Khushali Jhaveri  2 , Vidya Medepalli  1 , Laura Mulloy  1 , Sandeep Anand Padala  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Metastatic Calcinosis of Gastric Mucosa

Vatsalya Kosuru et al. J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep. 2020 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Calcinosis cutis refers to the deposition of calcium salts in the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue and is frequently associated with inflammation. Gastric calcinosis can be classified into metastatic, dystrophic, and idiopathic; metastatic calcinosis is the most common type. In metastatic calcification, calcium salts are deposited in normal soft tissues in the setting of altered metabolism of serum calcium and phosphorus and is a rare and serious complication of chronic renal failure. The important factors contributing to the development of metastatic calcinosis are hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and an elevated calcium-phosphate product. The most striking feature of this diagnosis is the calcification around the large joints. While it mostly involves dermis of small and medium-sized vessels, it can rarely affect the mucosal layers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Calcinosis presents as a marker for the presence of calcifications in other organs, such as heart or lung, which can be life-threatening. Patients rarely present with clinical symptoms of GI upset, dyspepsia, or epigastric pain that are attributed to calcinosis. If patients present with GI symptoms, infectious causes remain to be higher on the differential. We present a case of incidental finding of gastric mucosal calcinosis during the workup and treatment of dysphagia.

Keywords: chronic kidney disease; hypercalcemia; hyperphosphatemia; metastatic calcinosis cutis; metastatic gastric calcinosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Calcinosis in mucosa of gastric antrum.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Calcinosis in mucosa of pre-pyloric region.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Hematoxylin and eosin stain 100×. Calcium deposits distributed along the lamina propria and under foveolar epithelium.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Hematoxylin and eosin stain 200×. Prominent cyanophilic calcium crystals arising from lamina propria vasculature. Concomitant chronic gastritis is present with increased lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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