[Neutropenic enterocolitis]

Neutropenic enterocolitis is a necrotising colitis, which most often develops in the setting of severe neutropenia. The symptoms are non-specific and among the differential diagnoses are appendicitis, ischaemic colitis and pseudomembranous enterocolitis. In practice neutropenic enterocolitis is seen in oncological, especially haematological, patients during chemotherapy induced neutropenia. The condition has a potentially lethal course and both medical and surgical treatment is possible; clinically controlled investigations on methods of treatment have not been available. Two cases are reported.