Ectasias, Antral Vascular

Medical Condition:
Ectasias, Antral Vascular

A capillary ectasia of the gastric antrum mucosa characterized by thickened, red vascular folds radiating longitudinally from the pylorus to the antrum and resembling, upon endoscopic examination, the stripes on the skin of a ripened watermelon. Histological characteristics include dilated mucosal capillaries, focal thrombosis, and fibromuscular hypertrophy of the lamina propria. It is a cause of chronic upper gastrointestinal bleeding.