IDIOPATHIC COLONIC PHLEBITIS WITH MASSIVE ASCITES

We describe a 35-year-old woman with colonic phlebitis of unknown orig in accompanied by effusion of serum protein into the peritoneal cavity . Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed massive asc ites and edematous wall thickness of the colon. Laboratory examination of the peritoneal fluid showed a high concentration of protein, proba bly due to nonselective efflux of serum protein. The main histopatholo gical finding was extensive edema of the submucosa with vasculitis in the colon. This kind of phlebitis with massive ascites, but without sy stemic involvement, and with the ascitic fluid almost identical to the serum protein level, has not been reported previously.