Patterns of Gastric Injury

Gastric biopsies are routinely obtained from patients with symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract and, as a result, a variety of histologic changes are observed in patients with or without endoscopic evidence of mucosal injury. Although Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis is still common, several other patterns of mucosal injury are increasingly encountered. These patterns of injury are classified based on the nature and distribution of inflammation, location of epithelial cell injury, presence of crystal or pigment deposition, and/or other unique features. This article discusses each of these patterns and provides a differential diagnosis for each.