Esophagitis Dissecans Superficialis in a Patient With Prior Subtotal Gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y Reconstruction: A Case Report
Abstract
Esophagitis dissecans superficialis (EDS), also known as sloughing esophagitis, is a rare, benign disorder characterized by superficial sloughing of the esophageal mucosa. Its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood, with several underlying conditions and medication exposures described as potential predisposing factors. We present the case of a 41-year-old woman with an extensive surgical history, including subtotal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction, who presented with chronic upper abdominal pain and bloating. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy demonstrated superficial sloughing of the esophageal mucosa consistent with EDS. Subsequent histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis and showed no evidence of fungal infection. Because esophageal candidiasis was initially suspected based on the endoscopic appearance, the patient was empirically treated with fluconazole and continued proton pump inhibitor therapy. Repeat endoscopy six months later demonstrated complete resolution of the esophageal abnormalities. This case highlights EDS in a patient with extensively altered foregut anatomy and illustrates its potential to mimic infectious esophagitis. Although a causal relationship between prior gastric reconstruction and EDS cannot be established, recognizing this entity and correlating endoscopic and histopathologic findings are important for accurate diagnosis.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The Matrisome: In Silico Definition and In Vivo Characterization by Proteomics of Normal and Tumor Extracellular Matrices
- The Escherichia coli MG1655 in silico metabolic genotype: Its definition, characteristics, and capabilities
- In silico pharmacology for drug discovery: methods for virtual ligand screening and profiling
- In silico prediction of splice-altering single nucleotide variants in the human genome
- In silico clinical trials: how computer simulation will transform the biomedical industry
- In silico optimization of a guava antimicrobial peptide enables combinatorial exploration for peptide design
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.