A CASE OF MULTIPLE PERFORATIVE SIMPLE ULCERS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE

Abstract

Simple ulcer of the small intestine is a disease with unknown cause, except for Chron's disease, Behcet disease, and so on. It usually has one or a few ulcers and the patients with multiple perforative ulcers have scarcely been reported. Here a case of simple ulcer of the small intestine causing multiple perforations is described with a review of the litareture. A 75-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of a lower abdominal pain. Plain abdominal X-ray film showed free air in the abdomen and the generalized peritonitis due to perforated intestine was suspected. Emergency operation was carried out. Operative findings revealed that nine ulcers were sporadically detected within about 30 cm oral side from the terminal ileum, two of which were perforated and partial resection of the ileum was performed. These lesions were diagnosed as simple ulcer of the small intestine by the clinical features and the histopathological findings. “Simple ulcer” does not seem to be a definite disease entity and there is a possibility of a new disease entity separating from “simple ulcer” in the future.