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Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease

Received: 13 May 2022    Accepted: 30 May 2022    Published: 16 June 2022
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Abstract

Colonoscopy is a safe procedure with a low incidence of complications. Perforation is the complication most feared by the gastroenterologist. The management of benign pneumoperitoneum after colonoscopy is controversial. It is defined as asymptomatic free intra-abdominal air or as pneumoperitoneum without peritonitis. It may not require treatment. We present this case because of its rarity and controversial treatment options. This is a 46-year-old patient followed for luminal colic Crohn's disease under Adalimumab admitted to a day hospital for a colonoscopy in the context of monitoring. The latter had objectified a severe left flare and was not totaled because of the risk it ran for the patient. On waking, the patient presented with diffuse abdominal pain that resolved after gas evacuation. An abdominal CT scan was nevertheless performed, showing right prehepatic and pericolic pneumoperitoneum without peritoneal effusion. It was decided in consultation with the surgeons to opt for digestive rest and to keep the patient under strict surveillance without starting any treatment given that the patient was asymptomatic, afebrile, hemodynamically stable and the abdominal examination was strictly normal. The patient showed no clinical worsening during the follow-up and the pneumoperitoneum clearly regressed on the follow-up CT scan. It is necessary in case of pneumoperitoneum to confront the imaging to the clinic by remaining above all a clinician in order to be able to reserve conservative treatment for well-chosen patients.

Published in International Journal of Medical Case Reports (Volume 1, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12
Page(s) 13-16
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Colonoscopy, Pneumoperitoneum, Crohn’s Disease

References
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[8] Y. T. Hui, W. M. Lam, T. W. Lam, W. C. Cheung, S. F. Sze, and C. T. Wong, “Benign pneumoperitoneum developed after endoscopic biliary metallic stent placement with the rendezvous procedure,” Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 179–180, 2008.
[9] R. A. Mularski, J. M. Sippel, and M. L. Osborne, “Pneumoperitoneum: a review of nonsurgical causes,” Critical Care Medicine, vol. 28, no. 7, pp. 2638–2644, 2000.
[10] L. J. Damore II, P. C. Rantis, A. M. Vernava III, and W. E. Longo, “Colonoscopic perforations: etiology, diagnosis, and management,” Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, vol. 39, no. 11, pp. 1308–1314, 1996.
[11] G. Carpio, E. Albu, M. A. Gumbs, and P. H. Gerst, “Management of colonic performation after colonoscopy: report of three cases,” Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 624–626, 1989.
[12] D. Jentschura, M. Raute, J. Winter, T. Henkel, M. Kraus, and B. C. Manegold, “Complications in endoscopy of the lower gastrointestinal tract—therapy and prognosis,” Surgical Endoscopy, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 672–676, 1994.
[13] M. D. Ecker, M. Goldstein, B. Hoexter, R. A. Hyman, J. B. Naidich, and H. L. Stein, “Benign pneumoperitoneum after fiberoptic colonoscopy. A prospective study of 100 patients,” Gastroenterology, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 226–230, 1977.
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    Ferdaouss Lamarti, Mohamed Borahma, Nawal Lagdali, Imane Benelbarhdadi, Fatima-Zohra Ajana, et al. (2022). Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease. International Journal of Medical Case Reports, 1(2), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12

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    ACS Style

    Ferdaouss Lamarti; Mohamed Borahma; Nawal Lagdali; Imane Benelbarhdadi; Fatima-Zohra Ajana, et al. Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease. Int. J. Med. Case Rep. 2022, 1(2), 13-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12

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    AMA Style

    Ferdaouss Lamarti, Mohamed Borahma, Nawal Lagdali, Imane Benelbarhdadi, Fatima-Zohra Ajana, et al. Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease. Int J Med Case Rep. 2022;1(2):13-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12,
      author = {Ferdaouss Lamarti and Mohamed Borahma and Nawal Lagdali and Imane Benelbarhdadi and Fatima-Zohra Ajana and Omar El Aoufir and Laila Laamrani},
      title = {Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease},
      journal = {International Journal of Medical Case Reports},
      volume = {1},
      number = {2},
      pages = {13-16},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmcr.20220102.12},
      abstract = {Colonoscopy is a safe procedure with a low incidence of complications. Perforation is the complication most feared by the gastroenterologist. The management of benign pneumoperitoneum after colonoscopy is controversial. It is defined as asymptomatic free intra-abdominal air or as pneumoperitoneum without peritonitis. It may not require treatment. We present this case because of its rarity and controversial treatment options. This is a 46-year-old patient followed for luminal colic Crohn's disease under Adalimumab admitted to a day hospital for a colonoscopy in the context of monitoring. The latter had objectified a severe left flare and was not totaled because of the risk it ran for the patient. On waking, the patient presented with diffuse abdominal pain that resolved after gas evacuation. An abdominal CT scan was nevertheless performed, showing right prehepatic and pericolic pneumoperitoneum without peritoneal effusion. It was decided in consultation with the surgeons to opt for digestive rest and to keep the patient under strict surveillance without starting any treatment given that the patient was asymptomatic, afebrile, hemodynamically stable and the abdominal examination was strictly normal. The patient showed no clinical worsening during the follow-up and the pneumoperitoneum clearly regressed on the follow-up CT scan. It is necessary in case of pneumoperitoneum to confront the imaging to the clinic by remaining above all a clinician in order to be able to reserve conservative treatment for well-chosen patients.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Diagnostic Colonoscopy in a Patient Followed Up for Crohn's Disease
    AU  - Ferdaouss Lamarti
    AU  - Mohamed Borahma
    AU  - Nawal Lagdali
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    AU  - Fatima-Zohra Ajana
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    JF  - International Journal of Medical Case Reports
    JO  - International Journal of Medical Case Reports
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    EP  - 16
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2994-7049
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmcr.20220102.12
    AB  - Colonoscopy is a safe procedure with a low incidence of complications. Perforation is the complication most feared by the gastroenterologist. The management of benign pneumoperitoneum after colonoscopy is controversial. It is defined as asymptomatic free intra-abdominal air or as pneumoperitoneum without peritonitis. It may not require treatment. We present this case because of its rarity and controversial treatment options. This is a 46-year-old patient followed for luminal colic Crohn's disease under Adalimumab admitted to a day hospital for a colonoscopy in the context of monitoring. The latter had objectified a severe left flare and was not totaled because of the risk it ran for the patient. On waking, the patient presented with diffuse abdominal pain that resolved after gas evacuation. An abdominal CT scan was nevertheless performed, showing right prehepatic and pericolic pneumoperitoneum without peritoneal effusion. It was decided in consultation with the surgeons to opt for digestive rest and to keep the patient under strict surveillance without starting any treatment given that the patient was asymptomatic, afebrile, hemodynamically stable and the abdominal examination was strictly normal. The patient showed no clinical worsening during the follow-up and the pneumoperitoneum clearly regressed on the follow-up CT scan. It is necessary in case of pneumoperitoneum to confront the imaging to the clinic by remaining above all a clinician in order to be able to reserve conservative treatment for well-chosen patients.
    VL  - 1
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Gastroenterology C, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Gastroenterology C, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Gastroenterology C, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Gastroenterology C, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Gastroenterology C, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Radiology, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

  • Department of Radiology, Mohammed V University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

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