A Case of Mesenteric Phlebosclerosis Complicated by Perforative Peritonitis in a Patient with a History of Intake of Chinese Herbal Medicine

Abstract

A 75-year-old woman presented with fever and abdominal pain, and abdominal CT showed wall thickening and calcification of the mesentery of the ascending colon. She improved with conservative treatment, however, she experienced multiple relapses of the symptoms during the subsequent seven years. Calcification of the mesentery tended to progress over time and mesenteric phlebosclerosis was diagnosed. The patient then developed perforative peritonitis, necessitating surgery. In recent years, there have been many reports of involvement of Chinese herbal medicine in the onset of mesenteric phlebosclerosis. Our patient had continuously taken the herbal medicine for two years before the initial onset of phlebosclerosis, and the medicine is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis.