Differentiating Gastric Emphysema vs Emphysematous Gastritis: A Review of Literature

ABSTRACT An 86-year-old woman presents with emesis. Radiography suggested emphysematous gastritis (EG), a pathology associated with a reported mortality exceeding 50%. Aggressive clinical management was initiated. However, subsequent clinical evaluation prompted a diagnostic change toward gastric emphysema. Gastric emphysema and EG represent two pathologies with different prognoses but strikingly similar clinical presentations. The urgency of clinical intervention for EG was paramount, given its mortality rates. Navigating the diagnostic ambiguities was pivotal for this patient, considering the starkly different clinical outcomes, particularly mortality rates, associated, despite their similar presentations. This underscores the need for improved clinical differentiation and management of these pathologies.