Abstract
Neutropenic enterocolitis is a necrotizing inflammatory disease of the right colon that develops in the setting of severe neutropenia. We experienced a case of neutropenic enterocolitis with intermittent neutropenia in a 9-year-old boy. Althouth intermittent neutropenia has no regular cycles, it may be a subtype of cyclic neutropenia which is a rare hematologic disorder characterized by regular cycles of severe neutropenia occuring approximately every 3 weeks, and neutropenic enterocolitis is a life threatening complication of cyclic neutropenia. Although the clinical presentation and findings were resembling those of acute appendicitis, ultrasonography and CT showed diffuse thickening of the cecum and ascending colon wall. The treatment of neutropenic enterocolitis is not uniform as it represents a spectrum of disease ranging from mild, selflimited inflamation to fulminating necrosis and perforation. The indications for surgery in neutropenic patients should be the same as those in nonneutropenic patients. Pre- and postoperative granulocyte transfusions and administraiton of G-CSF should be performed because the return of adeqate numbers of functional neutrophils will determine the outcome in most cases.
