title: Postoperative pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and portal venous gas (PVG) may indicate bowel necrosis: a 52-case study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The significance of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and portal venous gas (PVG) is controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the risk factors for bowel necrosis in patients with PI and/or PVG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2002 and 2015, 52 patients were diagnosed with PI and/or PVG and were included in this study. The patients were classified according to the presence or absence of bowel necrosis in surgical findings or at autopsy. Patient characteristics and clinical findings related to bowel necrosis were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bowel necrosis was diagnosed in 17 (32.7 %) patients. Amongst these 17, 10 patients received salvage surgical intervention, and seven of those diagnosed with bowel necrosis survived after the operation. The remaining 35 patients received conservative treatment with or without exploratory laparotomy. Between patients with and without bowel necrosis, laboratory data revealed significant differences in the levels of C-reactive protein (P = 0.0038), creatinine (P = 0.0054), and lactate (P = 0.045); clinical findings showed differences in abdominal pain (P = 0.019) and peritoneal irritation signs (P = 0.016); computed tomography detected ascites (P = 0.011) and changes of bowel wall enhancement (P = 0.03) that were significantly higher in patients with bowel necrosis. The rate of PI and/or PVG detected in patients postoperatively was significantly higher in patients with bowel necrosis (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that bowel necrosis was significantly more likely when PI or PVG was detected in postoperative patients than in patients who had not had surgery (P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PI and/or PVG, alone, are not automatically indicative of bowel necrosis. However, when these conditions occur postoperatively, they indicate bowel necrosis requiring reoperation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan. toen0108@gmail.com.|, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. toen0108@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higashizono
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Ouki
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005740:Gases; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011006:Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000502:physiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005740:Gases
keywords: Bowel necrosis; Hepatic portal venous gas; Pneumatosis intestinalis