Postirradiation colitis cystica profunda. Case report and literature review

We report a rare case of rectosigmoid stricture associated with colitis cystica profunda that occurred 21 years after local therapeutic irradiation given for carcinoma of the bladder. We reviewed the literature and compared the clinical features, etiology, and macroscopic findings. The pathogenesis of the lesion may be related to repeated ulceration and regeneration, while chronic colonic ischemia may also play a role. The recognition of this rare entity is important because of its low-power "penetrating" architecture, which may be mistaken histologically as well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.