Magnetic Resonance Enterography of Phlebosclerotic Colitis: A Case Report

Phlebosclerotic colitis is a rare type of chronic ischemic colitis, with most documented cases occurring in Asians. Plain-film and computed tomography findings of pericolonic vascular calcifications are diagnostic. However, Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) findings of phlebosclerotic colitis have not yet been reported, and its diagnosis might be overlooked without awareness of this disease.

A 70-year-old female patient without prior systemic disease presented with a 3-month history of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Personal history was unremarkable except for long-term use of herbal medicine. She was initially investigated at a regional hospital with a colonoscopy and biopsy. Due to the presence of stenosis at the transverse colon and biopsy results suggestive of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), she was referred to our hospital for further investigation and treatment. MRE was performed as part of the IBD workup, which showed a thickened ascending and transverse colonic wall that was fibrotic, non-edematous, and with triangular projections on the mesenteric aspect. Owing to findings that were inconsistent with IBD, subsequent abdominal plain-film radiography confirmed characteristic linear dendritic serpiginous radiopaque opacities alongside the ascending and transverse colon. Re-biopsy of the affected colon confirmed the diagnosis of phlebosclerotic colitis. The patient's symptoms improved after conservative treatment.

MRE of phlebosclerotic colitis appears as symmetrical non-edematous bowel wall thickening with triangular signal voids indicative of venous calcifications.