Faculty Bibliography

A 28-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) with a one-day history of severe, diffuse abdominal pain of sudden onset. In the ED, an abdominal x-ray was done, which showed two hyperdense disc-shaped structures. When her abdominal pain did not subside, the ED performed a computerized tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast, which showed the two previously noted 16 mm disc-shaped objects to actually be located within the cecum. Based on the history and imaging, it was deduced that the two discs were likely to be Pepto-Bismol tablets (Proctor & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, OH). Most medications are radiolucent, but there are some that are radiopaque, including Pepto-Bismol (also known as bismuth subsalicylate). While quite a rare occurrence, it is important to know about since it can lead to unnecessary endoscopy and patient anxiety.

Colonic varices are an incredibly rare phenomenon to begin with; however, they are even more unusual when isolated and occurring in the absence of common comorbidities, like portal hypertension or portal vein thrombosis. We present a case of a 71-year-old female, who was asymptomatic and referred to gastroenterology for a routine colorectal cancer screening. The patient was ultimately found to have this anomalous condition when colonic varices were first identified on colonoscopy. Since these varices did not result from any obvious etiology, they were determined to be idiopathic colonic varices, an especially unusual presentation.

Rectal tumors are often encountered as an incidental finding on screening colonoscopy. As per the World Health Organization, they are categorized according to their histologic appearance. These include epithelial tumors, mesenchymal tumors and lymphomas. Of interest, in our case, are mesenchymal tumors. These are sub-classified into leiomyomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Our case is a 33-year old male who was diagnosed with a rectal leiomyoma. The uncommon incidence and subsequent management of a rectal leiomyoma in a male, make this case worthy for literature review.