[Decompensated acute gastric dilatation caused by a bulimic attack in anorexia nervosa].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL
FINDINGS: Abdominal pain developed after a bulimic binge in a 19-year-old girl with anorexia nervosa. She had unsuccessfully tried to induce vomiting. Physical examination showed no clinical sign of peritonitis, although there was diffuse abdominal tenderness on pressure. INVESTIGATIONS: There was leukopenia (2200 G/l) and a raised serum lactate level (58 mg/dl). No free air was seen on a plain film of the abdomen. Abdominal sonography revealed little free fluid subhepatically. TREATMENT AND COURSE: Acute respiratory impairment during investigations required emergency intubation. As bronchoscopy revealed aspiration a bronchial lavage was performed. Under gastroscopic control gastric emptying was achieved through a large gastric tube. After early improvement the patient developed the full picture of sepsis. Ultrasonography and needle puncture having revealed purulent intraabdominal fluid, a laparotomy was performed, which showed necrosis of the anterior and posterior walls of the stomach with free perforation. The greater curvature was resected. The patient slowly recovered but a relaparotomy for a subphrenic abscess became necessary on the 10th postoperative day. A year later there was free food passage, but the anorexia nervosa was unchanged.
CONCLUSION: A bulimic binge can become life-threatening if the stomach does not empty spontaneously. Surgical intervention is required, if the patient's condition does not improve despite gastric emptying.