Hepatic portal venous gas in Crohn's disease.

Abstract

Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is a rare finding that has only been reported previously among 25 patients with Crohn's disease in the English literature. We present a case of a 27-year-old woman with Crohn's disease who presented with fever, abdominal pain and per rectal bleeding and was found to have HPVG at the time of presentation most likely due to an enterovenous fistula. She was managed with intravenous antibiotics, corticosteroids and infliximab and subsequently made a full recovery. HPVG is most likely a manifestation of penetrating Crohn's disease, is overall associated with a low mortality rate and can be managed conservatively in the majority of cases associated with Crohn's dis..