A rare case of combined black esophagus and stomach: a case report

Black esophagus is a relatively rare phenomenon that seems to occur in a morbid patient population, however, this entity may be more common than we currently know. Additionally, black esophagus may even be reversible in some cases. There are far fewer cases of black stomach described. The exact etiology and cause are less well known but may have similar risk factors as black esophagus. These disease pathologies are devastating to the patients they affect and can pose clinical challenges for the providers that encounter them.

This case report details our experience with a moribund patient who was found to have extensive pneumomediastinum and gastric perforation secondary to black esophagus and black stomach. This was diagnosed on endoscopy following imaging that showed extensive pneumomediastinum. Initially the intent was to temporize the disease process in an attempt to stabilize the patient however at the time of diagnosis, the degree of ischemia had led to perforation and the disease process was not reversible or recoverable. He ultimately expired after comfort directed care measures were put in place.

To the best of our knowledge, this case will be the first reported in current literature and will hopefully shed some light on this unusual and devastating pathology.