Eosinophilic gastroenteritis: presentation of two patients with unusual affect of terminal ileum and caecum with manifestations of acute abdomen and literature review

Abstract

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare disease; the long-term personal history with digestive symptoms and the course of the disease with relapses and remissions is the key for the disease to be suspected. Endoscopy, CT scan and sonographic studies may provide important indirect signs of the disease and in combination with histological examination the diagnosis can be achieved. The administration of corticosteroids is an important factor for the treatment or the remission of the disease. In this study two cases with unusual location of the disease, on the terminal ileum and caecum, are presented and a literature review is attempted. The disease process, clinical and laboratory findings as well as the surgical approach used are described. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a very rare disease with its surgical complications. The disease is a non-surgical disease, thus presurgical diagnosis is important because the entity discussed can be under control by conservative treatment. A high disease suspicious index must be kept in the physicians' mind.