Solitary "amyloid ulcer" localized in the sigmoid colon without evidence of systemic amyloidosis

Abstract

In a 51-yr-old man, colonoscopy for heme-positive stools revealed a solitary "amyloid ulcer" localized in the sigmoid colon. There were no clinical symptoms suggesting amyloidosis, and additional examination revealed no findings characteristic of amyloidosis or any chronic inflammatory disease. Ischemic change as a result of amyloid infiltration into the vessel wall may lead to formation of an ulcer in the affected bowel. Although local resection can be considered for a symptomatic and well defined lesion, it should be kept in mind that amyloid can present in various forms and follow various courses, such as the spontaneous healing that occurred in our patient.