| [ Summary ] |
Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is a rare disease forming multiple gas-filled cysts within the submucosal or subserosal layer of the intestinal wall. There has been much speculation about the etiology of PCI, for example the mechanical and bacterial origins, connections with pulmonary disease and exposure to chemical agents. Clinical symptoms are abdominal pain, sense of abdominal distension, and bloody bowel discharge, but it is often asymptomatic. Abdominal X-rays show multiple round smooth-surfaced lesions along the intestines, Barium enema examination shows the same formations and extensibility. Through colonoscopic examination of submucosal tumors pale blueish tubercles are frequently observed. There can also be a flares and erosion, which is soft when compressed by forceps. Conservative treatment such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy is often employed. However, this condition may occasionally disappear without any treatment. |