title: Passage of a sigmoid colon cast in a patient with ischemic colitis.
abstract: Colon cast passage, which is the spontaneous passage of a full-thickness, infarcted colonic segment per rectum, is a rare occurrence. The main cause is acute ischemic colitis resulting from a circulation compromise. Most of the colon cast cases reported were secondary to abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs or colorectal surgery. We report a case of an 80-year-old woman with ischemic colitis who excreted a 20-cm colon cast. In most cases that involve a colon cast containing a muscle layer component, invasive therapy is required owing to colonic obstruction or stenosis. However, in the present case, the colon cast consisted only of a mucosa layer and was not associated with severe stenosis or obstruction; therefore, it was successfully treated by conservative therapy. Histologic examination of the colon segment may be crucial in determining the appropriate treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murono
authors.forename: Takamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Souichirou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sunami
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D012809:Colon, Sigmoid / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Colon cast; Endoscopy; Ischemic colitis