A case of fatal mesenteric inflammatory veno-occlusive disease

A 72-year-old woman in good general health presented a massive intestinal a nd colonic ischemia with rapid post-operative death, due to mesenteric infl ammatory veno-occlusive disease. Mesenteric inflammatory veno-occlusive dis ease, first described in 1994, is a vasculitis of unknown etiology limited to the mesenteric area, affecting exclusively veins and venules and sparing arteries. Histologically, there are acute lesions of lymphocytic and/or ne crotizing, sometimes granulomatous phlebitis and chronic lesions of myointi mal hyperplasia reducing the lumen of the veins. In this case, polymorphonu clear eosinophils were particularly numerous.