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Case Reports
. 2020 Sep 9;13(9):e235174.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-235174.

Emphysematous gastritis after metastatic malignant melanoma: a radiological surprise

Chiak Yot Ng  1 , Firdaus Hayati  2 , Chandran Nadarajan  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Emphysematous gastritis after metastatic malignant melanoma: a radiological surprise

Chiak Yot Ng et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Malignant melanoma is cancer of the skin which commonly metastasises to the stomach. There have been no reported cases of emphysematous gastritis secondary to metastasis of malignant melanomas, to date. However, a 61-year-old woman with metastatic malignant melanoma of the left great toe presented to us with symptoms of severe left hypochondrium pain associated with high-grade fever, gross abdominal distension and recurrent vomiting. Two months earlier, metastasis was observed to have spread to the stomach and inguinal lymph nodes. At this stage, the patient opted for traditional medication instead of definitive surgery and chemotherapy. Radiological imaging revealed an emphysematous change to the stomach which was radiologically consistent with gastric malignant melanoma. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to this rare condition.

Keywords: gastric cancer; gastrointestinal surgery; radiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Initial CT 2 months prior to acute presentation, which showed an eccentric gastric mass (arrow) in the greater curvature in sagittal (A) and coronal (B) view.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Erect chest radiograph during the acute presentation showed air under the diaphragm (arrow) overlying the mottled gastric mass, suggestive of pneumoperitoneum.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Axial CT abdomen during the acute presentation showed an emphysematous eccentric mass in the greater curvature of the stomach which is compressing on the stomach lumen (arrow). (B) Coronal CT abdomen showed an emphysematous eccentric mass in the greater curvature of the stomach which is compressing on the stomach lumen (arrow). (C) Presence of extraluminal free-air suggestive of pneumoperitoneum (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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