[Ultrasonography in acute transient ischaemic colitis].
BACKGROUND
Acute transient ischaemic colitis gives abdominal pain and blood per rectum; the symptoms disappear in the course of a few days. The diagnosis is made by clinical signs and symptoms, endoscopy and histology.


METHODS
During the last tree years this diagnosis has been made in 12 patients in our department. In an attempt at evaluating the extent to which transabdominal ultrasonography could give diagnostic information, the patients were examined in the acute state and at control a few days later; then the data were compared.


RESULTS
At admission the bowel wall echotexture was non-stratified; proximal to the ischaemic damage was fluid or air within the bowel lumen in all patients. During the observation period the thickness of the bowel wall was reduced from 9.0 +/- 1.7 to 4.2 +/- 0.7 mm (p < 0.0005). At the same time, mural resistive index was reduced from 0.72 +/- 0.08 to 0.62 +/- 0.09 (p = 0.010), while systolic acceleration time was reduced from 0.144 +/- 0.054 to 0.070 +/- 0.023 ms (p = 0.001), the same value as was found in the great mesenteric vessels (p = 0.969).


CONCLUSIONS
In acute transient ischaemic colitis, transabdominal ultrasonography may reveal pathological haemodynamic conditions and bowel wall thickness, both of which normalise within a few days.
Eriksen
Ragnar
R
Medisinsk avdeling, Gastroenterologisk seksjon, Alesund sjukehus, 6026 Alesund. ragnar.eriksen@helse-sunnmore.no
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013599:Systole; D014463:Ultrasonography