Focke G, Seidl C, Grouls V
Innere Klinik II, Stadtkrrankenhaus, Worms.
Leber Magen Darm. 1996 Sep;26(5):254, 257-9.
The case of a 74-year-old male patient with a watermelon stomach (GAVE-syndrome: gastric antral vascular ectasia) is reported. The superficial annual mucosa showed the characteristic picture of ectatic capillaries, some of them plugged with fibrin thrombi. Anemia due to chronic blood loss had developed in our patient. The vascular lesions of the antral mucosa were treated endoscopically in three sessions with an argon-plasma-coagulation (APC). Three months after completion of therapy the vascular changes of the antral mucosa had resolved almost completely. In addition no further blood loss had occurred. Many treatment modalities of the watermelon stomach abnormality exist. Nowadays, vaporization of the vascular lesions with the Neodym-Yag laser has widely replaced surgical treatment. The argon-plasma-coagulation uses instead of laser energy conduction of electric energy by ionized argon gas (plasma), which produces coagulation necrosis of tissues. The potential advantages of the argon-plasma-coagulation lie in the limited deep penetration, which reduces the risk of perforation and the symmetric spread of the coagulation effects in the surrounding mucosa. These properties make the argon plasma-coagulation a promising tool for the endoscopic therapy of mucosal lesions of the GI-tract. Further attractive is the low cost of the argon-plasma-coagulation equipment compared with laser devices.
报道了一例74岁男性西瓜胃患者（胃窦血管扩张综合征：胃窦血管扩张症）。浅表的胃黏膜呈现出扩张毛细血管的典型图像，其中一些被纤维蛋白血栓堵塞。我们的患者因慢性失血而出现贫血。采用氩离子凝固术（APC）分三次对胃窦黏膜的血管病变进行了内镜治疗。治疗完成三个月后，胃窦黏膜的血管变化几乎完全消失。此外，没有再发生失血情况。西瓜胃异常有多种治疗方式。如今，钕钇铝石榴石激光汽化血管病变已广泛取代手术治疗。氩离子凝固术则是利用电离氩气（等离子体）传导电能而非激光能量，从而使组织产生凝固性坏死。氩离子凝固术的潜在优势在于其穿透深度有限，降低了穿孔风险，且凝固效应在周围黏膜中呈对称扩散。这些特性使氩离子凝固术成为胃肠道黏膜病变内镜治疗的一种有前景的工具。与激光设备相比，氩离子凝固术设备成本较低，这一点也更具吸引力。
