title: Acute mesenteric infarction: an important cause of abdominal pain in ulcerative colitis.
abstract: We present four cases of acute mesenteric infarction in patients with active ulcerative colitis: one presenting prior to the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, two at the time of diagnosis, and one many years after the diagnosis had been made. Intestinal ischaemia is an important part of the differential diagnosis in patients with ulcerative colitis presenting with abdominal pain. Conversely, in patients presenting with bloody diarrhoea after mesenteric ischaemia, ulcerative colitis should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Barts and the London NHS Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Irving
authors.forename: Elspeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Alstead
authors.forename: Ralph R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.forename: Roger M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Feakins
authors.forename: Richard C G
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Pollok
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rampton
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D013152:Splanchnic Circulation; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology