Endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings in secondary linitis plastica of the rectum

Linitis plastica of the rectum consists of intraparietal, subepithelial and circumferential tumoral infiltration of the wall of the rectum leading to a constricted rectum with mural thickening. There is often a delay between symptom onset and diagnosis because this entity mimics a large number of diseases and the findings of endoscopy and conventional biopsies are non-conclusive since the surface mucosa is not usually affected. We present the endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings of two patients with secondary linitis plastica of the rectum.