PNEUMATOSIS-CYSTOIDES-INTESTINALIS

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI), a condition involving submuc osal or subserosal gas-containing cysts of the wall of the gastrointes tinal tract, is a rare entity. It is mostly diagnosed between the thir d and fifth decades of life without a clear sexual predominance. Diffe rent aetiopathogenetic factors are under discussion, the most probable being a bacteriologic cause (Clostridium perfringens) in combination with minimal leaks in the mucosal barrier. There are no pathognomonic symptoms; the clinical picture ranges from incidental findings to haem atochezia. Diagnosis is based on plain abdominal film and X-ray follow ing barium enema. Methods of treatment in symptomatic cases are oxygen and antibiotic (metronidazole) therapies and, in severe cases, resect ion of the diseased part of the intestine.