We present a patient with celiac sprue in whom intestinal lymphoma was
suspected. At laparotomy, a brown discolouration of small bowel loops
was observed, and a transmural biopsy confirmed a brown bowel syndrom
e, an entity that is found in long-standing malabsorption conditions.
We believe that the intestinal disorder caused by deposition of lipofu
scin in the bowel non-striated muscle may cause radiologic changes sim
ilar to those seen in intestinal lymphoma.