Spontaneous aortic pseudoaneurysm rupture into the sigmoid colon in Behçet’s disease patient

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent orogenital ulcers, uveitis, and skin lesions. The vascular manifestations include thrombophlebitis, stenosis, occlusion, and pseudoaneurysm. BD infrequently precipitates aortic pseudoaneurysm rupture into the sigmoid mesocolon and lumen of the adjacent colon. Here we report an extremely rare case of spontaneous abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm rupture via the sigmoid mesocolon into the lumen of the sigmoid colon in a 37-year-old patient with BD.

Similarities and differences between Behçet's disease and Crohn's disease

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory condition with multisystem involvement. Approximately 10%-15% of patients present with gastrointestinal involvement. Involved sites and the endoscopic view usually resemble Crohn’s disease (CD). In addition to intestinal involvement, oral mucosa, the eyes, skin, and joints are commonly affected. No pathognomonic laboratory test is available for the diagnosis of either disease. Management approaches are also similar in various aspects. Differentiating BD from CD is highly challenging. In this article, the similarities and differences between BD and CD in terms of epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, clinical and imaging findings, and histopathological and therapeutic approaches are reviewed.

Behçet’s disease complicated by multiple aseptic abscesses of the liver and spleen

Aseptic abscesses are an emergent entity and have been described in inflammatory bowel disease, especially in Crohn’s disease, and in other diseases. However, aseptic abscesses associated with Behçet’s disease are extremely rare. We report a Japanese male diagnosed with an incomplete type of Behçet’s disease who developed multiple aseptic abscesses of the spleen and liver. In 2002, the spleen abscesses were accompanied by paroxysmal oral aphthous ulcers and erythema nodosum. As the patient’s response to antibiotic treatment was inadequate, a splenectomy was performed. Severe inflammatory cell infiltration, largely of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, was observed without evidence of bacterial or fungal growth. Although the patient had no history of ocular symptoms or genital ulcers, a diagnosis of incomplete Behçet’s disease was made according to the Japanese diagnostic criteria because of the presence of paroxysmal arthritis and epididymitis since 2002. In 2005, multiple liver abscesses developed with right hypochondrial pain and seemed to be attributed to Behçet’s disease because the abscesses yielded negative results during a microbiologic investigation and failed to go into remission under antibiotic therapy. Oral prednisone (15 mg/d) was started in May 2006, and the abscesses dramatically disappeared 4 wk after treatment. Although the patient had a relapse of the liver abscesses in association with the tapering of prednisone, the augmentation of prednisone dosage yielded a response. The abscesses of the liver and spleen were strongly suggested to be attributed to Behçet’s disease. Clinician should be aware of the existence of aseptic abscesses as uncommon manifestations of Behçet’s disease.

Endoscopic and radiographic features of gastrointestinal involvement in vasculitis

Vasculitis is an inflammation of vessel walls, followed by alteration of the blood flow and damage to the dependent organ. Vasculitis can cause local or diffuse pathologic changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The variety of GI lesions includes ulcer, submucosal edema, hemorrhage, paralytic ileus, mesenteric ischemia, bowel obstruction, and life-threatening perforation.The endoscopic and radiographic features of GI involvement in vasculitisare reviewed with the emphasis on small-vessel vasculitis by presenting our typical cases, including Churg-Strauss syndrome, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Behçet’s disease. Important endoscopic features are ischemic enterocolitis and ulcer. Characteristic computed tomographic findings include bowel wall thickening with the target sign and engorgement of mesenteric vessels with comb sign. Knowledge of endoscopic and radiographic GI manifestations can help make an early diagnosis and establish treatment strategy.

Large-vessel thrombosis in intestinal Behçet’s disease complicated with myelodysplastic syndrome and trisomy 8

Behçet’s disease is characterized by recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, uveitis and skin lesions. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is characterized by problems due to ineffective hematopoiesis. Several studies have identified a relationship between MDS and Behçet’s disease, especially intestinal Behçet’s disease. Trisomy 8 seems to play an important role in these disorders as well. The present case was a 24-year-old woman who had a huge tonsil ulcer with initial symptoms of odynophagia and intermittent fever. We also noted folliculitis on her upper back. Five days later, she began to experience diarrhea and abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography and subsequent surgery revealed ileum perforation and enterocolitis with multiple ulcers. Later, she was admitted again for a vulvar suppurative ulcer and suspicious Bartholin’s cyst infection. The patient’s clinical presentations met the criteria for Behçet’s disease. Six months after the bowel perforation event, we noted the development of pancytopenia in a routine laboratory examination. All the examinations led to the diagnosis of MDS with trisomy 8. The most unusual finding was that multiple large vessel thrombi developed during follow-up. Previous studies have suggested that trisomy 8 in MDS leads to concurrent intestinal Behçet’s disease. Moreover, the inflammatory and immune genes related to thrombus formation are overexpressed in cases of MDS with trisomy 8. Trisomy 8 must play a role in thrombosis. Further studies are needed to help clarify the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of these disorders.

A case of primary biliary cirrhosis complicated by Behçet’s disease and palmoplantar pustulosis

A 46-year-old woman was diagnosed with palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) at the Department of Dermatology, Fukushima Medical University Hospital in 2000, and was treated with ointment. However, because liver dysfunction developed in 2003, she was referred to our department, where primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) was also diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings. One year later, at the age of 49, she developed manifestations of Behçet’s disease (BD), including erythema nodosum in the lower extremities. Because she had a history of uveitis, recurrent oral ulceration was present, and the HLA typing was positive for B51, BD was additionally diagnosed. Liver function normalized within three months of the start of treatment with ursodesoxycholic acid (UDCA). This is the first case of PBC associated with BD and PPP.