IN RECENT YEARS the spectrum of disease patterns produced by intestinal ischemia has been recognized.1,2 Abdominal symptoms, both of an acute and chronic nature, may be due to vascular insufficiency of the mesenteric vessels.
When the large bowel is affected, the syndrome of reversible vascular occlusion of the colon may occur.3 All descriptions of this syndrome stress the diagnostic roentgen features and allude to the possibility of their confusion with colon carcinoma. In the series of cases reported, only two such instances are noted.2,3
The following patient with reversible vascular occlusion presented with symptoms and radiologic evidence suggesting carcinoma of the transverse colon. The case is reported to emphasize the protean manifestations of vascular disease. It provides additional evidence that vascular insufficiency must be considered in the differential diagnosis of carcinoma of the colon.
Report of a Case
A 72-year-old Puerto Rican woman entered the hospital because