Ulceration and Perforation of the Intestine Due to Necrotizing Arteriolitis

Although disseminated arteritis frequently causes gastrointestinal symptoms, it seldom presents an acute abdominal emergency.1 It is uncommon for involvement of the gastrointestinal tract to be severe enough to dominate the clinical picture and to be the principal cause of death.2 During the past three years 3 patients have been seen at the Pennsylvania Hospital with disseminated arteritis of varied etiology, which led to discrete intestinal ulceration, perforation, peritonitis and death.Case ReportsCase 1 (P.H. A53226). A 17-year-old girl was in good health until May, 1960, when a school examination detected hypertension (blood pressure of 160/110). In November she complained . . .