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Projectile vomiting can be caused by increased intracranial pressure, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, or gastric outlet obstruction. It is a serious symptom that requires medical attention to determine the underlying cause.
Projectile vomiting is a condition that is classically associated with increased intracranial pressure, a congenital condition called hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, or a condition called gastric outlet obstruction. Patients with projectile vomiting vomit stomach contents with great force, often causing the gastric contents to travel a significant distance after leaving the mouth. Any patient experiencing severe vomiting should be sure to consult a doctor or other healthcare professional to best determine the cause of the vomiting.
One of the most life-threatening causes of this type of vomiting is increased intracranial pressure. The skull, made of bones, contains only a limited amount of space for its contents, including the brain, the linings of the brain, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Numerous conditions can cause a pathological increase in pressure within the brain, including brain tumors, the presence of excess cerebrospinal fluid, meningitis, encephalitis, or bleeding in the brain. The increased pressure within the skull irritates the part of the brain that controls the vomiting process, prompting affected patients to have the onset of sudden, violent vomiting. Other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure can include headaches, especially in the early morning, blurred vision, and confusion.
Young children can be affected by a condition called hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, which is another classic cause of projectile vomiting. Newborns typically develop this condition in the first few weeks of life and have symptoms including vomiting, weight loss, and poor sleep. It is a congenital condition in which the pyloric muscle of the stomach, which helps control the passage of food from the stomach to the intestines, becomes overdeveloped and inhibits the proper passage of food. The condition is diagnosed by feeling this enlarged muscle by palpating the abdomen or using ultrasound. It is easily treated with surgery.
Even adults and older children can develop this type of vomiting if the flow of food from the stomach to the intestines is obstructed. This condition is generally known as gastric outlet obstruction. It can develop as a result of gastric cancer, intestinal cancer, peptic ulcer, lymphoma, tuberculosis, hemochromatosis and amyloidosis. The cure for this condition relies on treating the underlying disease.
Although projectile vomiting is mostly closely related to the three conditions described above, other causes of vomiting could rarely cause this type. For example, viral gastroenteritis typically causes nonprojectile vomiting. In the most serious cases, however, the expulsion of the substance from the stomach could be particularly energetic, and therefore of a projectile nature.
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