title: Watermelon colon: is there an association with alcohol?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Watermelon colon, or rectal vascular ectasia of the colon, is a very rare vascular lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 56-year-old male heavy drinker was admitted to hospital with hematochezia. Colonoscopy revealed linear, watermelon-like vascular stripes throughout the entire colon. Rectal biopsies confirmed the vascular nature of these lesions, showing dilated and trombosed capillaries in the lamina propria. He had neither cirrhosis nor portal hypertension. The watermelon-like lesions regressed spontaneously following the cessation of alcohol intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This observation suggests that this condition can be triggered by alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey. enginaltintas@mersin.edu.tr
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Altintas
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cinel
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology