Acute abdomen caused by inflammatory colonic non-parasitic pathology: staging by CT.

A staging classification is proposed by CT findings in 27 patients with acute abdomen, caused by inflammatory colonic non-parasitic pathology. Of the 17 patients with diverticular disease, 4 were stage A (edema/ischemia on thickness of the abdominal wall), 2 were stage B (partial intramural infarction on the abdominal wall) and 3 were stage C (abscess/peritonitis and obstruction/vascular strangulation). None of the patients in the series were stage D (ischemia/infarction of the colonic wall with dilatation). Of the 4 patients with ulcerative colitis, 3 were stage A and 1 in stage C. Of the 3 patients with Crohn's disease, 2 were stage A and 1 was in stage C. Classified as stage D were 1 pseudomembranous colitis, 1 volvulus and 1 idiopathic megacolon. Clinical severity was in parallel with CT stages that gave better information on the progression of the pathology. Staging by CT in acute abdomen caused by inflammatory colonic non-parasitic pathology could be useful in therapeutics.