A case of multiple gastric duplication

Gastric duplication is a congenital anomaly, and it is one of the duplications of the alimentary tract. Only 74 cases including our case have been reported in the literature in Japan. Herein we report a case of gastric duplication with two cysts. A 40-year-old woman was found to have cystic masses at the left subdiaphragma and the back of the pancreas, respectively, by abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography in December 1991. An operation was performed under the diagnosis of suspected pancreas cysts in April 1992. The cysts at the left subdiaphragma, 8 cm in diameter, and at the back of the pancreas body and tail, 10 cm in diameter, were separately and strongly continuous with the greater curvature of the upper body of the stomach. Histological findings show that the two cysts were similar to the structure of the alimentary tract, and that the proper muscle layer continued with that of the stomach. So we diagnosed the condition as gastric duplication. Gastric duplication is often discovered incidentally in adults because of its asymptomatic course. Barium meal roentgenography, computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasonography are useful for diagnosis. Because carcinoma arising from the duplicated stomach have been reported, we think surgical therapy should be the first choice. It is important to keep gastric duplication in mind for differential diagnosis from an abdominal cyst.