[Intraportal air secondary to gastric dilatation. A clinical case]

The authors report a case of hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) secondary to massive gastric dilatation in a diabetic patient following blunt trauma. Both flat plate of the abdomen and ultrasound of the liver were necessary to reach the correct diagnosis. They review the pertinent literature and stress the importance of an accurate nosologic assessment of this uncommon entity in order to avoid undue mishaps.