Diagnosis and treatment of gastric duplication in children: A case report

Gastric duplication is a rare congenital abnormality, and its diagnosis and treatment may be challenging in certain children. The present study reported four cases of gastric duplication who were followed-up and treated in the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University between March 2010 and March 2015. The study aimed to increase the knowledge on this disease in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment, as well as decrease the possibility of misdiagnosis. Diagnosis could not be confirmed by the clinical manifestation, ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT). Therefore, laparoscopic examination and laparotomy were conducted, which confirmed the gastric duplication, and resection was performed according to the type of gastric duplication. Two patients received laparoscopy-assisted resection by removing the duplicated gastric tube through the navel, while one patient received total laparoscopic resection, and one patient received laparoscopy and laparotomy. The surgical procedures were performed without any issues, and no complications appeared following the surgery. The preoperative symptoms disappeared completely, and the patients recovered well according to the follow-ups conducted at 1 month, 1 year and 3 years for all four cases. In conclusion, gastric duplication is a rare condition and its preoperative diagnosis is difficult, and laparotomy is an effective method for diagnosis. Laparoscopy-assisted resection or total laparoscopic resection is preferred for uncomplicated gastric duplications, and simple excision can achieve a good therapeutic effect.