Phlebosclerotic colitis with long-term herbal medicine use

Abstract

Phlebosclerotic colitis (PC), also known as idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis, is a rare disease resulting in ischemic colon due to venous sclerosis and calcifications that can be identified by characteristic imaging features on computed tomography and colonoscopy. Clinical examination reveals nonspecific symptoms with slow progression in the majority of cases. Patients with PC often require late-stage hospitalization and colectomy. We report a 79-year-old man with long-term clinical symptoms who used herbal medicines. Computed tomography and colonoscopy studies revealed several classical PC characteristics, and the patient subsequently underwent emergency total colectomy.

Keywords

• Phlebosclerotic colitis
• Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis
• Ischemic colitis
• Computed tomography
• Herbal medicine