Ischaemic enterocolitis: an expression of the intravascular coagulation syndrome.

In 20 cases of ischaemic enterocolitis unassociated with lesions of major vessels, fresh thrombi were found in the small vessels of the bowel wall and were widespread in other tissues. The capillaries of the renal glomeruli and vessels in the lung were the commonest sites. Pseudo-membranous enterocolitis is shown to be an early or more slowly evolving but identical entity to other forms of so-called ischaemic enterocolitis. This is a condition which includes ischaemic enterocolitis, postoperative enterocolitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and probably some cases of clostridial and staphylococcal enterocolitis. It is due to an episode of intravascular coagulation occurring principally in the gut wall but also elsewhere.