PERFORATED SMALL-BOWEL DIVERTICULUM AS CA USE OF ACUTE ABDOMEN IN EHLERS-DANLOS SYNDROME

Based on a rare case of perforated small-bowel diverticulum combined w ith Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) we investigated in a retrospective st udy several swiss hospitals for symptomatic small-bowel diverticulosis aiming at any clue on EDS. We came up with 15 more cases, 5 of them w ith perforation, yet none showed any sign of EDS. A review of the lite rature on either small-bowel diverticulosis or the intestinal complica tions of EDS amounted to 131 cases of perforation and 11 cases of symp tomatic small-bowel diverticulosis in combination with EDS, 2 of them suffering from perforation. Regarding the rarity of these diseases the number of patients presenting both is surprising. Although the EDS-sp ecific histopathological changes of the skin could not be shown in the specimen of the intestinum, it seems quite reasonable to suggest an i ncreased incidence of diverticulosis in patients with EDS, since the w eakness of the connective tissue allows an easy protrusion of the muco sa through the intestinal wall.