The topographic distribution of lymphocytic gastritis in gastrectomy specimens

Forty-eight entire gastrectomy specimens received consecutively at this Department were cut into blocks for histologic examination. Focal or more extended areas of chronic gastritis (i.e. superficial or atrophic with or without intestinal metaplasia) were present in all 48 specimens. In addition, two of the 48 specimens had a large number of lymphocytes in the surface and foveolar epithelium of the mucosa. In the literature the latter is regarded as "lymphocytic gastritis". Lymphocytic gastritis was found in all 156 sections obtained from the two specimens. This lympho-epithelial phenomenon was present even in areas lacking chronic inflammation in the subjacent lamina propria mucosae. From our results it would appear that while chronic gastritis has a focal or a regional topographic distribution, lymphocytic gastritis includes the entire surface-foveolar epithelium of the gastric mucosa.