Stenotic ischemic colitis treated with laparoscopy-assisted surgery

Ischemic colitis is the most common type of intestinal ischemia. The etiology of this condition is multifactorial, and the diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical symptoms, as well as endoscopic and histological findings. Although conservative therapy is effective in most cases, surgery still plays a key role in the treatment of ischemic colitis. Here, we describe a case of a 73-year-old man in whom laparoscopy-assisted left colectomy was performed 80 d after the onset of ischemic colitis. He recovered completely after surgery, and the pathological findings were consistent with ischemic colitis. To the best of our knowledge, there are no detailed reports of laparoscopic surgery for chronic segmental stenotic ischemic colitis. We discussed the usefulness of laparoscopic surgery, comparing it with endoscopic treatment, and we propose an optimal treatment strategy from a viewpoint of stenosis length and duration of disease. (C) 2012 Baishideng. All rights reserved.