TY - JOUR
T1 - Intestinal perforation. A common complication of scleroderma
AU - Ebert, Ellen C.
AU - Ruggiero, Francesca M.
AU - Seibold, James R.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by an NIH grant (DK42166) a (to E.C.E.), and the W.H. Conzeen Endowment of Schering-Plough Foundation, and the Scleroderma Research Fund (to J.R.S.).
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - The known intestinal complications of systemic sclerosis (SSc) stem mainly from motor disturbances. Autopsy findings were studied to identify anatomic abnormalities that may be associated with this disease. Descriptions of intestinal organs at autopsy were compared in 16 patients with SSc and 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a related disease control. There was a high incidence of perforation in SSc (7 of 16 patients) compared to SLE (1 of 18 patients) (P < 0.05). In SSc, perforations involved all parts of the bowel: transmural esophageal fibrosis (after heater probe cautery), dehiscence of suture line after gastric resection, perforated duodenal ulcers (N = 2), terminal ileal ischemia, and diverticulitis (N = 2). Two of the perforations in SSc were silent and were discovered at autopsy. The one perforation in SLL was due to full-thickness necrosis from vasculitis. This study suggests that the intestinal walls of patients with SSc are inherently weak; the gastroenterologist should keep this in mind when performing invasive procedures.
AB - The known intestinal complications of systemic sclerosis (SSc) stem mainly from motor disturbances. Autopsy findings were studied to identify anatomic abnormalities that may be associated with this disease. Descriptions of intestinal organs at autopsy were compared in 16 patients with SSc and 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a related disease control. There was a high incidence of perforation in SSc (7 of 16 patients) compared to SLE (1 of 18 patients) (P < 0.05). In SSc, perforations involved all parts of the bowel: transmural esophageal fibrosis (after heater probe cautery), dehiscence of suture line after gastric resection, perforated duodenal ulcers (N = 2), terminal ileal ischemia, and diverticulitis (N = 2). Two of the perforations in SSc were silent and were discovered at autopsy. The one perforation in SLL was due to full-thickness necrosis from vasculitis. This study suggests that the intestinal walls of patients with SSc are inherently weak; the gastroenterologist should keep this in mind when performing invasive procedures.
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U2 - 10.1023/A:1018847126143
DO - 10.1023/A:1018847126143
M3 - Article
C2 - 9073138
AN - SCOPUS:0030935366
SN - 0163-2116
VL - 42
SP - 549
EP - 553
JO - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
JF - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
IS - 3
ER -