ENDOSCOPIC ND-YAG LASER-THERAPY OF WATERM ELON STOMACH

The watermelon stomach is a vascular malformation at the gastric antru m which is responsible for chronic bleeding. We report here nine patie nts (5 females and 4 males) referred to our Department from December 1 990 to May 1995 with ferropenic anemia resulting from chronic gastroin testinal bleeding and with the diagnosis of watermelon stomach. The me an age at presentation was 52 years (range, 29-80). Seven patients req uired periodic blood transfusions and the remaining patients therapy w ith iron compound. All patients were treated with photocoagulation of antral lesions with Nd-YAG laser applied endoscopically. In all patien ts an almost complete disappearance of endoscopic lesions was achieved and during the 19-month follow-up period (range, 2-54) no patient req uired blood transfusions or iron therapy. No secondary complications f rom therapy were noted.