Surgical treatment of pneumatosis coli

This report is of five cases of primary pneumatosis coli, four of whom underwent five surgical resections. Follow-up was from nine months to ten years with one recurrence nine years after sigmoid colectomy. This experience indicates that primary pneumatosis coli is now more common than pneumatosis cystoides intestinales of the small bowel. We also feel that there is a place for surgical resection of symptomatic pneumatosis coli even in the absence of acute complications.