PSEUDOGASTROPARESIS AS A PRESENTATION OF ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE PROXIMAL JEJUNUM

Establishing the presence of adenocarcinoma of the small bowel is exce edingly difficult. Survival is contingent on prompt diagnosis. We desc ribe a patient with an atypical presentation of jejunal adenocarcinoma visualized,ia small bowel enteroclysis, She was referred with ''gastr oparesis,'' based on both a radionucleotide scan that revealed markedl y delayed gastric emptying and a ''normal'' small bowel series. A mark edly abnormal scintigraphic study and a negative small bowel series do es not exclude disease of the small intestine and should provide the i mpetus to further pursue the possibility of an obstructing lesion. The enteroclysis is a relatively safe and effective study in the preopera tive diagnosis of small bowel tumors. (Am J Gastroenterol 1998;93:993- 996. (C) 1998 by Am, Cell. of Gastroenterology).