title: Acute abdominal complications of systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Four patients with acute abdominal complications of systemic lupus erythematosus requiring laparotomy are presented. The complications consisted of intestinal ischaemia, without perforation, in 3 patients and omental infarction in the fourth. In 2 patients the abdominal emergency was the first manifestation of the collagen disease. Tissue removed from 3 patients showed a marked vasculitis on histological examination. The pathogenesis and management of acute abdominal complications of systemic lupus erythematosus are discussed and the literature reviewed.
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male