[Colonic necrosis following a pancreatic pseudocyst embolization]

Ischemic colitis

Ischemic colitis is the most common form of ischemic enteropathy and occurs more frequently in elderly people. Although the etiology of ischemic colitis is diverse, the most common cause is acute, self-limited disruption of blood supply to the intestine. The typical clinical symptoms of ischemic colitis are minor abdominal pain and mild muscular tension of the affected colon segment. Hematochezia is very common, however, massive hemorrhage that can affect hemodynamics is not frequent. If the lesion is located in the mucous layer or submucosal layer, the disease is often transient and self-limited. Acute ischemic colitis with transmural infarction may lead to colonic necrosis and even death. Colonoscopy and biopsy are the gold standard for diagnosis of the disease. Most patients with ischemic colitis improve after conservative treatment in one or two days. Approximately 20% of patients may deteriorate to develop peritonitis and need surgical treatment.