Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the stomach. Report of three unusual cases.

Three patients with inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) of the stomach underwent operation with a diagnosis of submucosal tumor, polyp, and intramural tumor of the stomach, respectively. Resected specimens grossly showed a deep ulcer accompanied by surrounding upheaval, a sausagelike polyp 6.5 cm long, and a pedunculated tumor with a short pedicle, respectively. Histologic examination showed that each lesion was typical of IFP of the stomach, with a mixture of fibroblasts and thin-walled blood vessels, and further by an intense infiltrate of eosinophils. These cases indicate that IFP of the stomach can vary in gross appearance. Practitioners and pathologists must remember that not only a polypoid lesion, but also a pedunculated or even ulcerated lesion, in the gastric antrum may be IFP.