Pyogenic Granuloma of the Descending Colon: A Rare Cause of Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Small Bowel Pyogenic Granuloma With Cytomegalovirus Infection in a Patient With Crohn's Disease (Report of a Case and Review of the Literature)

Pyogenic granuloma (PG) represents a lobular capillary proliferation commonly seen in the skin or oral mucosa. They are rarely reported in the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanism underlying PG pathogenesis is not well understood. Only one case of cutaneous PG associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been reported in the English literature. Here, we report such a unique case of PG arising from the small bowel. A 67-year-old male, status post ileocolic resection, presented for follow-up colonoscopy because of Crohn's disease of the terminal ileum and the colon. Colonoscopy revealed inflammation at the ileocolic anastomosis as well as an 8-mm pedunculated lesion with an irregular surface in the neo-terminal ileum. Histological studies of the small bowel mucosa revealed chronic active ileitis with pyloric gland metaplasia, consistent with his clinical history of Crohn's disease. The lesion demonstrated a lobular architecture consisting of clusters of small capillaries of various sizes lined by a single layer of cytologically bland endothelial cells, and accompanied by acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrates and surface erosion/ulceration. The histological features supported the diagnosis of PG. Scattered viral inclusions with positive CMV immunoreactivity were present in the endothelial cells and glandular cells of pyloric gland metaplasia within the PG. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of PG with local CMV infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Gastrointestinal Pyogenic Granuloma (Lobular Capillary Hemangioma): An Underrecognized Entity Causing Iron Deficiency Anemia

Pyogenic granuloma (PG), more accurately known as lobular capillary hemangioma, is a benign vascular tumor that usually occurs in the skin or oral mucosa. This lesion is rarely reported in the gastrointestinal tract but is known to bleed if not resected. We herein describe a case series with the clinical, endoscopic, and histologic findings of four cases of gastrointestinal PG at our institution. In addition, we provide a review of the literature and summation of all reported cases of PG specific to the gastrointestinal tract. Based on our experience, we suggest that the actual incidence of gastrointestinal PG may in fact be higher than reported because PG can be unrecognized or improperly diagnosed. It is important for the clinician to properly recognize this lesion as a source of anemia and its propensity to bleed during biopsy or resection.