Gastro-colic Fistula-associated Hypersplenism Causes Pancytopenia in a Patient with Crohn's Disease

Intern Med. 2023 Jan 1;62(1):69-74. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.9590-22. Epub 2022 May 21.

Abstract

A 24-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to abdominal pain and a high fever. She was diagnosed with ileocolonic Crohn's disease (CD), complicated with a gastro-colic fistula and splenomegaly. After initial treatment with an infliximab-biosimilar, all blood cell line counts markedly decreased. Three-dimensional reconstructed computed tomography revealed splenic vein narrowing. Thus, her pancytopenia was deemed to have likely been caused by hypersplenism. Surgery was performed, and clinical remission was maintained without pancytopenia. This is the first report of a CD patient with pancytopenia caused by hypersplenism that was triggered by gastro-colic fistula-associated splenic vein obstruction.

Keywords: Crohn's disease; gastro-colic fistula; hypersplenism; pancytopenia; splenomegaly.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Colic* / complications
  • Crohn Disease* / complications
  • Female
  • Fistula*
  • Humans
  • Hypersplenism* / complications
  • Hypersplenism* / diagnostic imaging
  • Liver Cirrhosis / complications
  • Pancytopenia* / complications
  • Splenomegaly / complications
  • Young Adult