Small bowel obstruction in acute myelogenous leukemia: stenosis or paralysis?

We describe a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia who suffered a small bowel obstruction on the second day of chemotherapy. The patient had to be operated immediately, and the terminal ileum and a part of the colon was re moved. The resected specimen showed leukemic infiltration (chloroma) of the bowel with marked atrophy of the muscular layer. However, there was no com plete stenosis. For this reason we believe that the reason for the acute ab dominal symptoms on the second day of chemotherapy could be paralysis of th e bowel due to muscular atrophy.