Korean J Gastrointest Endosc.  2008 Jan;36(1):36-39.

Two Cases of Melanosis Ilei Developed after Long-standing Charcoal Ingestion

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

Abstract

Melanosis ilei is an extremely rare condition in which black pigment, consisted of aluminum, magnesium, or silicon, accumulate in the terminal ileal mucosa. Medical treatment with charcoal enhances the neutralization of the toxic material and elimination of many drugs. In addition, it has been used as a traditional remedy in some oriental countries to relieve chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, or acute enterocolitis, which is made up carbon, oxygen, aluminum, magnesium, silicon, calcium, and palladium. Two patients taking the charcoal for a long time underwent a colonoscopy to evaluate chronic diarrhea or abdominal pain. The colonoscopy revealed a normal colonic mucosa and multiple geographic black-pigmented mucosal changes at the terminal ileum. Therefore, it was assumed that melanosis ilei can develop in patients with long-standing charcoal ingestion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of melanosis ilei associated with the ingestion of charcoal.

Keyword

Melanosis; Ileum; Charcoal

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Aluminum
Calcium
Carbon
Charcoal
Colon
Colonoscopy
Diarrhea
Eating
Enterocolitis
Humans
Ileum
Magnesium
Melanosis
Mucous Membrane
Oxygen
Palladium
Aluminum
Calcium
Carbon
Charcoal
Magnesium
Oxygen
Palladium
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