Portal hypertensive colopathy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The aim of this paper was, first, to show in a case control study that in alcoholic cirrhotic patients colonic vascular ectasias (VE) are a complication of portal hypertension and, second, to establish in a histomorphometric study that colonic vascular ectasias and rectal varices (RV) are only endoscopic features of a new entity: portal hypertensive colopathy, the pathologic basis of which is colonic mucosal capillary ectasia. In the case control study, for each case, three age- and sex-matched controls selected from consecutive patients were used. Sixteen alcoholic cirrhotic patients, 12 men, 4 women (mean age ±sd: 62±10 years) had colonic vascular ectasias. The prevalence of esophageal varices (88% vs 44%,PPPPP2 vs 1676±345 μm2,P<0.05) than cirrhotic patients without vascular ectasias and/or rectal varices. These results suggest that colonic vascular ectasias seem to be a complication of portal hypertension and that colonic vascular ectasias and rectal varices are endoscopic features of a new entity the portal hypertensive colopathy.