title: Small bowel obstruction in acute myelogenous leukemia: stenosis or paralysis?
abstract: We describe a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia who suffered a small bowel obstruction on the second day of chemotherapy. The patient had to be operated immediately, and the terminal ileum and a part of the colon was removed. The resected specimen showed leukemic infiltration (chloroma) of the bowel with marked atrophy of the muscular layer. However, there was no complete stenosis. For this reason we believe that the reason for the acute abdominal symptoms on the second day of chemotherapy could be paralysis of the bowel due to muscular atrophy.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Lilienfeld-Toal
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Theuerkauf
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glasmacher
authors.forename: I G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Wolf
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007421:Intestine, Small; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*