Author Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China (Jia HM, Zhang KR, Qu RB)

Corresponding Author: Ke-Ren Zhang, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China (Tel: 86-24-83955606; Email: zkr425@yahoo.com)

doi:10.1007/s12519-009-0063-9

Background: Gastrointestinal duplications are rare congenital abnormalities known to occur at any level of the alimentary tract from the mouth to the anus. The cause of intestinal duplication has not been established. Several theories have been put forward to explain different types of duplications. Some of these duplications are large sized and giant, and only 4 cases have been reported.

Methods: A 4-year-old girl was referred to our hospital with a history of abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and diarrhea mixed with black blood for 20 days. Technetium-99m scintigraphy identified heterotopic gastric mucosa at the middle and lower abdominal region. Enteric duplication was suspected.

Results: Operatively, duplication was found to be located at the ileum with abnormal hypertrophy in shape, 50 cm of the ileum was resected, and an ileoileal end-to-end anastomosis was made. Stomach-like mucosa and some ring structures were identified instead of the normal intestinal mucosa when opening this ileal duplication. Microscopically, most of mucosa showed gastric corpus-fundic glands.

Conclusions: This is an unusual case of enteric duplication. Ultrasonography, computed tomography  and technetium-99m scintigraphy are helpful in the diagnosis of duplication.

Key words: children; enteric duplications; gastric heterotopia

                  World J Pediatr 2009;5(4):322-324