Unexpected Death Due to Acute Gastric Dilatation and Gastric Necrosis in an 11-Year-Old Boy

Abstract

This report is related to the unusual case of an 11-year-old boy presenting with acute gastric dilatation after the intake of excessive food and carbonated beverages after a 12-hour fasting who died of complications of acute reperfusion syndrome after decompression of the stomach with gastrotomy. An enormously distended stomach was encountered without volvulus and obstruction in the operation. Autopsy and histological findings revealed a severely distended stomach, the walls of which were notably thin and displayed transmural necrosis. The reported case demonstrated that enormous food and beverage intake may cause acute gastric dilatation and gastric necrosis, and subsequently, sudden death may develop in children. The subject reported here is the youngest child in literature dying from acute gastric dilatation and necrosis without any underlying disorders and exposed to autopsy.