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Annotated abstract

Emphysematous gastritis: diagnostic histology in the absence of classic radiological features

bmjcr · 2026-03-18 · canonical JSON source

7 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Emphysematous gastritis is a rare and life-threatening condition often caused by gas-forming bacterial infections. This case describes a woman in her 40s with no significant medical history, presenting with acute abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Cross-sectional imaging was non-diagnostic. An oesophagogastroduodenoscopy showed patches of highly unusual cobblestone gastric mucosa, but no definitive diagnosis could be made until histology confirmed emphysematous gastritis. The patient was treated with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, including flucloxacillin, metronidazole and gentamicin. She improved with conservative management, avoiding the need for surgery. This case highlights the importance of early clinical suspicion and using a multidisciplinary approach with endoscopic, microbiological and histological correlation in diagnosing emphysematous gastritis.