AUTHOR=Chen Chong-Cheng , Chen Yi , Zhang Yue-Xin , Chen Ze-Hua , Yang Kun TITLE=Case Report: A Rare Condition of Abdominal Pain: Chemotherapy Induced Portal Vein Pneumatosis Mimicking the Bowel Necrosis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Surgery VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/surgery/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2021.620908 DOI=10.3389/fsurg.2021.620908 ISSN=2296-875X ABSTRACT=

Portal vein pneumatosis is the presence of air in the portal venous system, which is one of the classic radiologic features of bowel ischemia or necrosis. However, there are several other morbidities that can have portal vein pneumatosis as a complication. This is a case of a 44-year-old man who suffered from severe abdominal pain after chemotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma of his left hip. The physical signs, laboratory findings, as well as the portal venous pneumatosis sign of the CT scan strongly indicated the probability of bowel necrosis and subjected the treatment decision of the patient finally to laparotomy. However, nothing abnormal except a segment of swollen small intestine was detected. Caution should be kept in mind when encountering a patient with suspected bowel necrosis following chemotherapy since several chemotherapeutic agents could cause portal vein pneumatosis. Diagnostic laparoscopy might be a better option for such cases.