Laparoscopic total gastrectomy for Ménétrier's disease

Most patients with Ménétrier's disease are treated nonoperatively with nutritional support, antacids, and pain medications. Surgical intervention is rarely required. We report the case of a 41-year-old male with HIV and hepatitis B who presented with weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed diffuse gastric thickening without lymphadenopathy and an upper endoscopy revealed chronic gastritis and enlarged gastric folds without evidence of Helicobacter pylori. Multiple endoscopic biopsies showed chronic inflammation without malignancy. A laparoscopic assisted full thickness biopsy revealed foveolar hyperplasia consistent with Ménétrier's disease. Postoperatively, the patient's symptoms continued to worsen and were complicated by lower gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to gastric erosions. The patient did not experience any hematemesis, only melena. A laparoscopic total gastrectomy with a Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy was performed. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 7 tolerating a postgastrectomy diet. His hematocrit stabilized and he remained asymptomatic at 16-month follow-up. Ménétrier's disease is a rare gastrointestinal entity that can be treated safely with minimally invasive skills. We report this case in detail and discuss Ménétrier's disease.