Intest Res.  2015 Jul;13(3):282-286. 10.5217/ir.2015.13.3.282.

Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction as an Initial Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

• Oh DJ
• Yang JN
• Lim YJ
• Kang JH
• Park JH
• Kim MY

• KMID: 2174488
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2015.13.3.282

Abstract

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO) is an uncommon, severe complication that occurs in a small subgroup of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To our knowledge, approximately 30 cases of IPO in SLE have been reported in the literature. Moreover, IPO is rare as an initial manifestation of SLE. We report a case of a 43-year-old woman with SLE who initially presented with IPO.

Keyword

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction; Lupus erythematosus, systemic

MeSH Terms

Adult
Female
Humans
Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction*
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Radiological findings according to clinical course. At admission, she had nausea, vomiting, obstipation, and abdominal discomfort. (A) Plain abdominal radiography showed gaseous dilatation and air-fluid levels in small bowel loops. (B) Coronal CT image showed marked diffuse distension of the small bowel without a definite obstructive lesion. (C) Fourteen days following discharge, she presented with recurrent nausea and abdominal distension. Steroid was administered. Plain abdominal radiography showed the residual presence of the gaseous distension despite steroid therapy. (D) Four months later, plain abdominal radiography showed improvement of the gaseous distension.

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