Phlegmonous colitis: another source of sepsis in cirrhotic patients?

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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>The clinical relevance of phlegmonous colitis (PC), a rare autopsy finding in cirrhotic patients, is poorly documented. We postulated that PC might be a source of sepsis in patients with portal hypertensive colopathy (PHC).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Case presentation</jats:title> <jats:p>We report three cirrhotic patients who were admitted with abdominal sepsis and who illustrate, to various degrees, the clinico-pathological sequence of colonic alterations associated with portal hypertension. Two cirrhotic patients with PHC developed gram-negative bacteraemia and quickly responded to intravenous antibiotics. Another cirrhotic patient underwent emergency colectomy for PC, and subsequently died from multiple organ failure. Histological alterations in the operative specimen included: a) mucosal ulcerations; b) disseminated micro-abscesses in the submucosa; and c) a severe vasculopathy leading to complete obliteration of submucosal blood vessels.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title> <jats:p>These data suggest that cirrhotic patients with PHC may progress towards PC, which, in turn, may be the cause for life-threatening sepsis.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

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