LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Intraoperative discovery of melanosis coli during emergent bowel resection for perforation

Photo from wikipedia

A patient was taken to the operating room with a presumptive diagnosis of necrotic small bowel and colon. During the procedure, it was noted that she had black mucosa throughout… Click to show full abstract

A patient was taken to the operating room with a presumptive diagnosis of necrotic small bowel and colon. During the procedure, it was noted that she had black mucosa throughout the colon. Several factors suggested viable colonic tissue, and the decision was made to not resect the colon as originally planned. Final pathology of the specimen would later reveal melanosis coli, an ultimately benign diagnosis. Further questioning of the patient found that she had taken a herbal laxative supplement containing several components which are known to cause melanosis coli. We hope that this case report will serve as a reminder to surgeons and clinicians to remember melanosis coli as a clinical entity when confronted with blackened or darkened colonic mucosa. On review of available literature, we identified other cases in which melanosis coli was discovered intraoperatively, and we propose a number of factors to support intraoperative decision making.

Keywords: bowel; discovery melanosis; melanosis; melanosis coli; intraoperative discovery

Journal Title: BMJ Case Reports
Year Published: 2022

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.