| Ischemic Colitis |
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All tissues of the body require oxygen which is carried in the blood stream. If the flow of blood is interrupted for more than a few minutes, cells begin to die and damage occurs in that organ. An typical example would be a heart attack. A heart attack usually occurs when a blood clot causes a blockage in an artery in the heart. Part of the heart dies and is replaced by scar tissue. Another example familiar to most people would be a stroke. A stroke occurs when a blood clot causes a blockage in an artery in the brain. Part of the brain dies and paralysis often occurs.
The pictures above show an example of a normal colon lining on the left - pink and healthy. On the right, however, is an example of a patient with ischemic colitis. Ischemic means damage from lack of blood. Ischemic colitis can be thought of somewhat like having a "stroke" in your colon. If a blood clot causes a blockage in the arteries that supply your colon, damage occurs to the inner lining of the colon.
The picture on the right is from a 72 year old gentleman who came to our emergency room after having abdominal pain and rectal bleeding for three days. Once appendicitis was ruled out, a colonoscopy was performed. The right side of his colon showed severe ischemic colitis. The red areas are inflamed. The white areas are ulcers. He was treated with antibiotics and medicines to prevent blood clots. After several weeks, the colon healed. |
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