Abstract
Biochemical, gastroscopic, histopathological and lymphangiographic studies were performed in 6 patients with protein-losing gastropathy (4 patients with Ménétrier's disease, one patient with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome and one patient with chronic erosive gastritis) and their results are as follows : 1) Biochemical studies revealed that there was a patient who had not hypoalbuminemia in spite of gastric protein loss and that there were patients who had hypoimmunoglobulinemia and/or lymphocytopenia. 2) Gastroscopic study demonstrated gastric mucosa covered by mucus, giant rugae and stalactite grotto phenomenon which suggested hypersecretion of gastric mucosa in all patients. 3) Histopathological studies on the stomachs removed at operation or at autopsy clarified that ; (i) hyperplasia of gastric surface epithelial cells was markedly observed in all cases. (ii) structures of gastric fundic glands were divided into two types ; one was proportional hyperplasia of each gastric epithelial components composed of chief cells, parietal cells and surface epithelial cells, and the other was metaplasia of the epithelial components with complete replacement of parietal cells by mucin-secreting cells and cystic dilatations of the glands. (iii) there were seen dilated lymphatics in the mucosa and submucosa of some patients. 4) Lymphangiography by the method of Kinmonth showed an increase in number of retroperitoneal lymphatics as appeared like reticular pattern, their bead-like dilatation and back-flow of contrast medium toward digestive tracts in two of 4 patients studied.
