title: Intramural gastric abscess caused by a toothpick presenting as a subepithelial tumor.
abstract: In the present report, we describe an unusual case of an intramural gastric abscess caused by a foreign body, detected in the form of a subepithelial tumor. A 64-year-old woman was referred to our gastroenterology clinic for further evaluation of a gastric subepithelial tumor. The patient presented with a 1-month history of sustained dull epigastric pain. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed an ill-demarcated, round, smooth, protruding lesion with a small central erosion on the great curvature of the proximal antrum. Endoscopic ultrasonography indicated the presence of an ovoid, heterogeneous, hypoechoic lesion with small echogenic foci located in the submucosa and muscularis propria layers. An abdominal computed tomography scan showed focal gastric wall thickening and regional lymph node enlargement. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed for definite diagnosis and management. Thus, we detected a toothpick and removed it using grasping forceps. The final diagnosis was an intramural gastric abscess caused by a toothpick.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Wang Guk
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Mun Chul
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Min A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Cheon Beom
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cho
keywords: Gastric foreign body; Subepithelial tumor; Toothpick