Conservative management of gastric pneumatosis following left gastric artery embolisation

Abstract

Gastric pneumatosis, the presence of air within the stomach wall, is a very rare occurrence with poor outcomes. One of the most common mechanisms for gastric pneumatosis is gastric ischaemia, also a rare entity. Although patients with gastric ischaemia may require surgical intervention, they can often be treated with conservative measures such as a proton pump inhibitor, broad-spectrum antibiotics, nasogastric tube decompression, fluid resuscitation and total parenteral nutrition. We report a rare case of gastric ischaemia and pneumatosis following therapeutic left gastric artery argon plasma coagulation that was treated with conservative measures.