title: Diarrhoea caused by a stenosis of the coeliac artery: suggestive for mesenteric steal.
abstract: The classical triad of postprandial pain, weight loss and an abdominal bruit is thought to be the most common presentation of chronic gastrointestinal ischaemia. We describe a patient with severe diarrhoea as an uncommon presenting symptom of small bowel ischaemia, suggesting a mesenteric steal phenomenon due to a significant atherosclerotic coeliac artery stenosis. The stenosis and concomitant steal effect was successfully treated by stent placement. The latter is supported by the patient's uneventful course after stent placement. This case illustrates that chronic gastrointestinal ischaemia has to be considered in patients with otherwise unexplained diarrhoea.
authors.affiliation: Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gravendijkwal 230, Rotterdam, 3015 CE, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Désirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Noord
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mensink
authors.forename: Pieter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ter Borg
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pattynama
authors.forename: Hence J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verhagen
authors.forename: Ernst J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kuipers