title: [Black esophagus due to acute necrotizing esophagitis: four case reports].
abstract: We describe four patients with acute esophageal necrosis who were admitted to hospital due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding. "Black esophagus" is endoscopically defined as diffuse dark pigmentation of the esophageal wall. The underlying conditions were ketoacidosis in three of the patients and diabetes mellitus in two. Three patients responded well to empirical supportive therapy and one patient died of coexisting illness rather than the esophageal status. Acute esophageal necrosis is a rare entity that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, KKR Sapporo Medical Center. y-ishibashi@kkr-smc.com
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsuzono
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goda
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Nozomu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugai
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Atsuhiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukazawa
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis