Gastric pneumatosis in a child with congenital duodenal obstruction

Abstract

Pneumatosis of the foregut is an extremely rare finding which may indicate a potentially serious condition. In newborn the presence of gastric intramural gas is mainly associated to necrotizing enterocolitis and is considered a condition which correlates with a poor prognosis. In infant and children pneumatosis of foregut may be secondary to several causes such as infection, mucosal ischemia, caustic ingestion, gastrointestinal obstruction or mucosal injury occurred during endoscopic procedure. Intramural gastric gas can be classified as “gastric emphysema” (GE) when a mechanical injury is the main causal factor or as “emphysematous gastritis” (EG) in cases of underlying gastrointestinal infection. Portal venous gas is also a rare condition. Necrotic bowel wall dues to infection or ischemia, associated with increased intraluminal pressure, seems to favor the entry of the air into portal venous system. We report a case of gastric pneumatosis associated to portal venous gas in a child affected by Down's Syndrome with a duodenal web and concomitant bacterial and mycotic gastric colonization.

Keywords

• Gastric emphysema
• Portal pneumatosis
• Duodenal obstruction