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Case Reports
. 2022 Jul 30:2022:6290510.
doi: 10.1155/2022/6290510. eCollection 2022.

Gastric Pseudomelanosis: An Uncommon Finding

John Samies  1 , Ruchit N Shah  2 , Michelle Pramick  3 , Alberto Unzueta  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Gastric Pseudomelanosis: An Uncommon Finding

John Samies et al. Case Rep Gastrointest Med. .

Abstract

Gastric pseudomelanosis is a benign condition that has been characterized by pigment deposition within subepithelial macrophages inside the stomach wall. Occurrence of the condition is rare, with pseudomelanosis occurring more often within the duodenal mucosa. Few cases have reported pseudomelanosis within the gastric mucosa. We report a case of an 86-year-old female who presented with worsening iron deficiency anemia concerning for gastrointestinal bleeding. Her endoscopic evaluation was remarkable for a speckled pattern of dark pigmentation within the stomach, confirmed to be pseudomelanosis by histologic evaluation with pigment showing positive staining for iron.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gastric fundus demonstrating discolored and friable mucosa with few scattered areas of speckled dark mucosal pigmentation (endoscopy image).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gastric body demonstrating speckled dark mucosal pigmentation (endoscopy image).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gastric mucosa with inactive chronic gastritis, foveolar hyperplasia, mucosal iron deposition, intestinal metaplasia, and superficial pigment deposition, suggestive of pseudomelanosis. H&E stain, 100x.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Gastric mucosa. An iron special stain highlights mucosal iron deposition. Subepithelial aggregates of dark pigment are also seen. Iron stain, 200x.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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