MULTIPLE GASTRIC WALL ABSCESSES - A RARE CASE IN THE ENDOSONOGRAPHIC DIFFERENTIAL-DIAGNOSIS OF SUBMUCOSAL GASTRIC TUMORS

We report a rare case of a 52 year old patient with multiple gastric w all abscesses. In 1987 a selective proximal vagotomy was performed. Be cause of non-specific gastric symptoms in 1993 an endoscopy and an end oscopic ultrasound was performed at another hospital which resulted in the likely diagnosis of multiple leiomyomas. Three months later a con trol endosonography showed three well demarcated submucosal tumors, pa rtly echo-genic, but with an inhomogenous echo-pattern. A laparotomy a nd histological examination of the submucosal gastric tumors revealed multiple gastric abscesses with granulomas after selective proximal va gotomy. Difficulties in the differential diagnosis of submucosal gastr ic tumors arising from this case are demonstrated and discussed.