Treatment of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome monitored by gastrointestinal endoscopy

Abstract

A man in his sixties presented at our hospital with a chief complaint of diarrhea accompanied by nail deformation, skin pigmentation, dysgeusia, anorexia, weight loss and edema of the lower leg. Laboratory data showed malnutrition, and Technetium-99m-labeled human serum albumin scan showed positive accumulation in the intestine. On endoscopy, many more polypoid lesions were found in the stomach and colon than in the esophagus, duodenum, and terminal ileum. Background mucosa between polypoid lesions was reddish and edematous. This case was diagnosed as Cronkhite-Canada syndrome, and treatment initiated with intravenous hyperalimentation, prednisolone, sulfasalazopyridine and tranexamic acid. Gastrointestinal endoscopy performed after three months of treatment showed a decrease in the number of polypoid lesions and reduction in mucosal redness and edema. Gastrointestinal endoscopy after nine months’ treatment showed a disappearance of almost all the polypoid lesions.