Mallory–Weiss syndrome

Abstract

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by gastroesophageal laceration was first reported by Quincke in 1879; however, the association with retching and vomiting was described by Mallory and Weiss in 1929 (Mallory and Weiss, Am J Med Sci, 178:506-514, 1929; Quincke, Deutsch Arch Klin Med, 24(72), 1879). The prevalence of Mallory-Weiss syndrome has been reported at between 3 and 15 % of all patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (Sugawa et al., Am J Surg, 145(1):30-3, 1983; van Leerdam, Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol, 22(2):209-24, 2008; Yin et al., Eur J Intern Med, 23(4):e92-6, 2012). Mortality associated with Mallory-Weiss tears has been shown to be similar to gastric and duodenal ulcers in at least one series (Marmo et al., Gastrointest Endosc, 75(2):263-72, 272.e1, 2012). The occurrence of gastroesophageal laceration without hemorrhage is difficult to quantify and their clinical significance is debatable.