Infect Chemother.  2008 Oct;40(5):271-275. 10.3947/ic.2008.40.5.271.

A Case of Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis in an Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Who had Bronchiolitis Obliterans and Pulmonary Infection by Mycobacterium abscessus

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Intermal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. sumichoi@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can cause various complications involving lung, liver, intestine and other organs. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) may injure the cells in the intestinal mucosa of HSCT recipients. Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PI) is a condition that presence of air in the bowel wall is demonstrated by radiologic or pathologic tests. It is one of the infrequent complications after HSCT and is associated with several medical and surgical conditions. However its pathogenesis and definite etiologic factors are still unknown. Here, we present a case of PI in a HSCT recipient, who was diagnosed of bronchiolitis obliterance accompanied with chronic GVHD and pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium abscessus.

Keyword

Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis; Hematopoietic Stem cell Transplantation; Complications

MeSH Terms

Bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis Obliterans
Graft vs Host Disease
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Intestinal Mucosa
Intestines
Liver
Lung
Lung Diseases
Mycobacterium
Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis
Stem Cells
Transplants

Figure

  • Figure 1 Plain abdominal radiograph at admission showed air surrounding the descending colon without free air.

  • Figure 2 CT scan of the abdomen showed air cyst formation around splenic flexure (A) and air collection in the entire large bowel wall (B).


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