Summary
A clinical, endoscopic and histological study was performed in 300 patients with chronic
gastric erosions.
The male-female ratio was 4:1. The antrum was the preferential site of erosions. Chronic
erosions were classified into two categories: “active” (with a dark clot or whitish
coat of fibrin) and “inactive” (covered by a normal pink mucosa). All the lesions
showed foveolar hyperplasia, partial obliteration of the lamina propria by fibrous
and smooth muscle bundles, a greatly thickened muscularis mucosae and an increased
number of submucosal thick-walled vessels. In the “active” stage the central umbilicated
area was covered by a collection of granulocytes, while in some of the “inactive”
erosions the central depression showed the presence of a channel-like structure penetrating
into the lamina propria. In two cases the lesion mimicked a gastric adenomyoma. Gastric
acid secretion was significantly increased in the tested patients as compared with
normal.
The similarity of the histological findings with those in ischemic conditions of the
gastro-intestinal tract suggests that both hypersecretion and localized ischemia may
play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic erosions.
Key words:
Erosion - Ischemia - Mucosa - Stomach - Secretion
