Intest Res.  2013 Oct;11(4):303-305. 10.5217/ir.2013.11.4.303.

Necrotizing Myositis as an Extraintestinal Manifestation of Crohn's Disease

• Kim DH
• Paik KH
• Shim HJ
• Rhie SY
• Jung LI
• Kim BJ
• Kim JG

• KMID: 2284919
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2013.11.4.303

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with extraintestinal manifestations involving almost every organ system in the body. Crohn's disease (CD) appears to be more commonly associated with an inflammatory myopathy than ulcerative colitis. However, myopathy of the thigh in patients with CD is rare. We report an unusual site of necrotizing myositis in a patient with CD. A 23-year-old woman presented with swelling and pain at the left popliteal area that had lasted for 1 week. Twenty-two months before admission, she had presented with pyoderma gangrenosum on the left upper chest and was diagnosed with CD. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of her leg revealed diffuse swelling in the left semimembranous muscle and biceps femoris muscle that was compatible with myositis, and a cystic lesion in the distal portion of the semimembranous muscle. The findings from semimembranous muscle biopsy were also consistent with necrotizing myositis. In conclusion, myositis, although rare, can be an extraintestinal manifestation of CD.

Keyword

Inflammatory bowel diseases; Crohn disease; Myositis

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Colitis, Ulcerative
Crohn Disease*
Female
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Leg
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Muscles
Muscular Diseases
Myositis*
Pyoderma Gangrenosum
Thigh
Thorax
Young Adult