Abstract
BackgroundThe significance of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and portal venous gas (PVG) is controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the risk factors for bowel necrosis in patients with PI and/or PVG.MethodsBetween 2002 and 2015, 52 patients were diagnosed with PI and/or PVG and were included in this study. The patients were classified according to the presence or absence of bowel necrosis in surgical findings or at autopsy. Patient characteristics and clinical findings related to bowel necrosis were investigated.ResultsBowel necrosis was diagnosed in 17 (32.7 %) patients. Amongst these 17, 10 patients received salvage surgical intervention, and seven of those diagnosed with bowel necrosis survived after the operation. The remaining 35 patients received conservative treatment with or without exploratory laparotomy. Between patients with and without bowel necrosis, laboratory data revealed significant differences in the levels of C-reactive protein (P = 0.0038), creatinine (P = 0.0054), and lactate (P = 0.045); clinical findings showed differences in abdominal pain (P = 0.019) and peritoneal irritation signs (P = 0.016); computed tomography detected ascites (P = 0.011) and changes of bowel wall enhancement (P = 0.03) that were significantly higher in patients with bowel necrosis. The rate of PI and/or PVG detected in patients postoperatively was significantly higher in patients with bowel necrosis (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that bowel necrosis was significantly more likely when PI or PVG was detected in postoperative patients than in patients who had not had surgery (P = 0.003).ConclusionsPI and/or PVG, alone, are not automatically indicative of bowel necrosis. However, when these conditions occur postoperatively, they indicate bowel necrosis requiring reoperation.
Highlights
The significance of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and portal venous gas (PVG) is controversial
Diagnoses ranged from infectious enteritis to simple obstruction; the cause of symptoms was unknown in 11 patients
Ten of the 17 patients died during their hospitalization
Summary
The significance of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and portal venous gas (PVG) is controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the risk factors for bowel necrosis in patients with PI and/or PVG. Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and the presence of hepatic portal venous gas (PVG) have long been thought to predict bowel necrosis and an associated poor prognosis [1,2,3]. PI and PVG are suggested to have various sequelae, including bowel necrosis, which are associated with poor patient outcomes. The diagnosis of bowel necrosis is often difficult in patients with PI and/or. We investigated patients with PI/PVG to identify the predictors of bowel necrosis
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