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Cathartic colon with unusual histological features


J. Clain
B.H. Novis
B. Bank
L.B. Kahn
I.N. Marks

Abstract

A case report of a patient with a long history of constipation, surreptitious and overt purgative abuse, is preseated. The radiological appearances were characteristic of cathartic colon. Macroscopic examination of the colon showed the lesions to be situated mainly in the caecum and ascending colon. The histology showed atypical features, with discrete linear ulceration and eosinophil infiltration, but not melanosis coli. It is suggested that a variety of histological changes, some simulating localised ulcerative colitis, may occur in cathartic colon. The pharmacological and pathophysiological effects of irritant purgatives are discussed.

S. Afr. Med. J. 48, 216 (1974).

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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574