Gastric Prolapse

Description

Centered on the ventriculus opened to its lumen, the illustration exposes thick gastric rugae across the fundus and corpus, tapering inferiorly into the antrum and pyloric canal. At the pylorus, redundant gastric mucosa projects distally, creating the appearance of gastric prolapse into the proximal duodenum. Immediately beyond the pyloric ring, the duodenal bulb continues inferiorly with a smoother mucosal surface, emphasizing the abrupt gastroduodenal transition. Orientation is established by the superior fundic dome and the inferior, more tubular duodenal segment. Gastric prolapse is most clinically encountered as antral or pyloric mucosal prolapse, where edematous folds intermittently invaginate through the pylorus and can mimic a polyp, a submucosal mass, or even intussusception during endoscopy. A key endoscopic pitfall. The relationship between rugal architecture, pyloric narrowing, and duodenal entry helps explain symptoms such as postprandial epigastric pain, intermittent gastric outlet obstruction, and occult bleeding from repetitive mucosal trauma, and it also frames why biopsies taken from the wrong margin may miss the underlying process. Gastroenterology faculty often need a clean, didactic rendering like this for lectures on gastroduodenal anatomy, mucosal prolapse syndrome, and differential diagnosis of antral folds seen on EGD. It also fits well in surgical education materials discussing pyloroplasty, antrectomy margins, or endoscopic reduction when prolapsed folds cause obstructive physiology. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.