A Case of Mucosal Necrosis of the Stomach after Endoscopic Injection Therapy with Hypertonic Saline-Epinephrine (HS-E) for a Bleeding Peptic Ulcer with an Exposed Vessel
Do Hwae Park, M.D., Sun Taek Choi, M.D., Min Jae Cho, M.D., Jung Hyun Ryu, M.D. and Dong Wok Lee, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Korea
Abstract
Peptic ulcer bleeding is a frequent cause of upper G-I bleeding. Endoscopic injection therapy with hypertonic saline-epinephrine (HS-E) is a cost-effective and widely used therapy for hemostasis; however, 1∼3% of patients experience bleeding or perforation. A 70 year-old male patient was admitted with melena and hematemesis. An endoscopy on admission showed the presence of a 1 cm- sized well-demarcated ulcer with pulsatile bleeding at the lesser curvature of the distal antrum. Approximately 28 mL of HS-E solution was injected around the exposed vessel. Follow-up endoscopy performed 7 days later showed the presence of a 2 cm-sized newly developed mucosa necrosis at the lesser curvature of the pyloric channel, which was caused by ischemic necrosis of the gastric mucosa after HS-E injection. Endoscopic injection therapy with HS-E solution is a relatively safe technique, but mucosa necrosis can occur with the use of a dose of HS-E that is considered safe. We report a case of gastric mucosa necrosis following endoscopic HS-E injection therapy of a bleeding peptic ulcer. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2008;37:20-24)