Ischemic colitis due to a dissecting aneurysm of the superior rectal artery.

Ischemic injury to the bowel is a disease entity that has a wide spectrum of pathological and clinical findings. Patients with chronic ischemia present with colicky abdominal pain, obstructive symptoms and signs of ischemic colonic stricture. We reported the first case of ischemic colitis arising from a superior rectal artery (SRA) aneurysm. Colonoscopy showed non-resolving colitis complicated by sigmoid stricture. CT angiogram with 3D reconstruction showed a dissecting SRA aneurysm measuring 2 cm by 1.2 cm by 1.3 cm. The patient underwent laparoscopic-assisted low anterior resection, which was converted to open because of adhesions and made a full recovery.