A CASE OF ISCHEMIC STENOSIS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE

Abstract

A 79-year-old woman was seen at the hospital because of an abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient was admitted with a diagnosis of acute enteritis and passage disturbance and successfully managed by conservative treatment. After discharge from the hospital, the patient was readmitted because of intestinal obstruction. Intestinal fluoroscopy revealed a localized narrowing. Surgical exploration revealed a strangulated upper portion of the intestinal loop, which involved a stenosed part 6cm in length. No necrosis nor hemorrhagic change was observed in the intestine and mesenterium. From gross, angiographic, pathological findings of excised stenosed intestine, the patient was diagnosed as having an ischemic stenosis of the small intestine. We can consider probable ischemic factors including blood flow disturbance due to incomplete strangulation of the intestine, arteriosclerosis, dehydration and an increase in inner pressure of the intestine resulting from the bent intestine. Here we also present some notes on ischemic stenosis of the small intestine based on 40 cumulated cases in this country including or case.