Mesenteric involvement of acute-stage Buerger's disease as the initial clinical manifestation: report of a case

Abstract

Buerger's disease is almost always a disease of the blood vessels in the extremities. Conversely, mesenteric involvement of Buerger's disease is rare, and no true series have been reported. We report the case of a 37-year-old man with clinical symptoms of upper extremity Buerger's disease, who underwent surgery for extensive small bowel infarction. Histopathologic findings revealed that the mesenteric arteries were swollen and infiltrated with neutrophils, but not associated with fibrinoid necrosis. The lumen was occluded by a highly cellular thrombus with the appearance of a microabscess. These findings were compatible with acute-stage mesenteric Buerger's disease and postoperative studies revealed multiple occluded segments in the small and medium-sized arteries of both legs and the left arm, suggestive of Buerger's disease in the extremities.