Spontaneous submucosal dissection of the esophagus. A case report.

A forty year-old Japanese woman complained of slight hematemesis and severe pain on swallowing. Fluoroscopic examination showed typical esophagograms of "double barreled esophagus" or "mucosal stripe". An esophageal ulceration, probably where the dissection re-entered the usual lumen, was endoscopically evident at the lower end of the mucosal bulging. A large, shallow ulcer of unknown cause was also identified in the just anal area from the esophago-gastric junction. She recovered with conservative treatment of fasting, cimetidine and sodium alginate.