Development of Barrett's esophagus six months after total gastrectomy

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is an acquired disease of the esophagus, in which esophageal squamous epithelium is changed by injury from reflux to metaplastic intestinal type columnar epithelium. BE is the premalignant lesion of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. It is widely accepted that the long-standing reflux of gastric acid is a catalyst for the development of BE. More recent work points toward the reflux of duodenal secretions as a catalyst in this disease process as well. Moreover, the time course for the development of BE once a patient has reflux is not known. Our case challenges the currently defined time course of "long-standing" reflux symptoms for the development of BE, and supports the role of duodenal secretions alone in the development of BE. A 68-yr-old Caucasian man was admitted with weight loss, left upper quadrant pain, a hemoglobin of 6.8, and heme-positive stool. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed normal esophageal mucosa and a mass in the gastric cardia. Biopsies showed moderately differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent a total gastrectomy, distal esophagectomy, and a Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy. Pathology confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma (T1 N0 Mx). The distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction in the resected specimen were grossly and microscopically normal. Six months later an EGD, prompted by new complaints of regurgitation and dyspepsia, revealed distal esophageal mucosa lined by red-colored columnar tissue. Biopsies showed intestinal type epithelium. Thus, our case report's contribution to the current literature is twofold. It provides evidence of development of BE solely from duodenal reflux, and it documents a relatively short time span to development of BE.