title: [Acute peritonitis complicating Crohn's disease: epidemiologic and physiopathological characteristics].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An uncommon event in the natural course of Crohn's disease is the spontaneous perforation. It's the most serious intestinal complication.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the incidence of this complication and to discuss the mechanism of the perforation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report, retrospectively, 4 cases (3 men and one woman; median age: 30 years) of peritonitis complicating Crohn's disease and study their clinical characteristics intra operatively findings and course evolution. Steroid therapy was administrated to all patients before the perforation. The perforation sites are on the ileum in three cases and on the jejunum in one case. The treatment consists in a resection of the perforated intestine with stoma in all cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perforation in Crohn's disease is a rare event. The exact mechanism of the perforation is still unknown and many hypotheses are presented.
authors.affiliation: Universite Tunis, El Manar, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Heykal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bedioui
authors.forename: Amine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daghfous
authors.forename: Oussama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baraket
authors.forename: Sofiene
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chouaieb
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kallel
authors.forename: Sofiene
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayadi
authors.forename: Rabii
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Noomen
authors.forename: Faouzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chebbi
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ksantini
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jouini
authors.forename: Montacer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kacem
authors.forename: Zoubeir
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ben Safta
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids