Vascular occlusion and stricture of the sigmoid colon secondary to trauma from a pneumatic hammer

A patient with stricture of the descending colon secondary to use of a pneumatic hammer is presented. Barium enema and angiographic studies suggested that the etiology was a traumatic vascular injury. Barium granulomata, found in the resected specimen, were presumably due to barium having entered the devitalized tissues during an air contrast study performed during an acute ischemic colitis. The mechanisms of traumatic strictures of the colon are discussed.