Isolated duodenal ischemia of unknown etiology: a case report

Acute abdomen is among the most common presentations observed in clinical practice. The present study describes a patient with isolated duodenal ischemia as an extremely rare etiology of acute abdomen.

A 79-year-old male with acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting presented to the emergency department of our hospital. He was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome 7 years ago, for which he took thalidomide and erythropoietin as the main medications. The prominent findings of the physical examination were hypotension, tachycardia, fever, mild hypoxemia, and epigastric and right upper quadrant tenderness of the abdomen. Except for mildly increased creatinine and lipase, other laboratory findings were in concordance with myelodysplastic syndrome. Due to the patient's oliguria, the computed tomography (CT) scan was performed without contrast, which, together with the ultrasonography, raised the clinical impression of acute pancreatitis. The patient's hypotension was refractive to supportive treatment, resulting in progressive deterioration of the clinical condition. A later contrast-enhanced CT scan suggested microvascular ischemia of the duodenum. An emergent Whipple's procedure was planned initially, which was later switched to a damage control surgery due to the patient's cardiac arrest during the surgery. Despite all the supportive therapy provided at the intensive care unit, the patient expired of a cardiac arrest which occurred two hours after the termination of the surgery.

The high rate of mortality in duodenal necrosis necessitates emergent diagnosis and proper management. When other common etiologies are ruled out, clinicians should consider duodenal pathology as a potential cause of acute abdomen.