Severe corrosive gastritis related to Drano: an unusual case.

A case of lye ingestion by a suicidal patient in the form of Drano in capsules is reported. Although lye ingestion usually causes lesions in the oropharynx and severe esophagitis, in our patient it produced severe gastritis with minimal esophageal findings because of the protective capsules which dissolved primarily in the stomach. Endoscopy should be the first method of evaluating patients with ingestion of corrosives, but an upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series can accurately demonstrate mucosal injury and extent of involvement. UGI can be used as an adjunct in patients incompletely examined by endoscopy and can play an important role in the follow-up examination of these patients.