title: Toxic megacolon complicating chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia.
abstract: A 43 year old woman in remission from acute myeloid leukaemia developed abdominal pain, severe melaena, diarrhoea and gram-negative septicaemia whilst severely pancytopenic following consolidation chemotherapy. Subsequently, serial abdominal X-rays showed a progressive toxic megacolon. Conservative management was attempted but, because of radiological evidence of increasing colonic dilatation and incipient perforation, an emergency defunctioning colostomy was performed. The patient recovered and 2 months later the caecostomy was reversed and a right hemicolectomy performed. This first described case of toxic megacolon following leukaemia treatment is compared with three previously described cases following cytotoxic chemotherapy for other conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wodziński
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Snowden
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Reilly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000677:Amsacrine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008532:Megacolon, Toxic / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000677:Amsacrine; D003561:Cytarabine; D005047:Etoposide; D003630:Daunorubicin