CT findings in isolated ischemic proctosigmoiditis

The purpose of our study was to describe the CT features of ischemic proctosigmoiditis in correlation with clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, and histopathologic findings. Our study included seven patients with isolated ischemic proctosigmoiditis. Patients were identified by a retrospective review of all histopathologic records of colonoscopic biopsies performed during a time period of 4 years. All patients presented with left lower abdominal quadrant pain, bloody stools, and leukocytosis, and four patients had fever at the time of presentation. Four of seven patients suffered from diarrhea, one of seven was constipated and two of seven had normal stool consistency. The CT examinations were reviewed by two authors by consensus and compared with clinical and histopathologic results as well as with the initial CT diagnosis. The CT showed a wall thickening confined to the rectum and sigmoid colon in seven of seven patients, stranding of the pararectal fat in four of seven, and stranding of the perisigmoidal fat in one of seven patients. There were no enlarged lymph nodes, but five of seven patients showed coexistent diverticulosis and in three of these patients CT findings were initially misinterpreted as sigmoid diverticulitis. Endoscopies and histopathologic analyses of endoscopic biopsies confirmed non-transmural ischemic proctosigmoiditis in all patients. Isolated ischemic proctosigmoiditis often presents with unspecific CT features and potentially misleading clinical and laboratory findings. In an elderly patient or a patient with known cardiovascular risk factors the diagnosis of ischemic proctosigmoiditis should be considered when wall thickening confined to the rectum and sigmoid colon is seen that is associated with perirectal fat stranding.