A Case Report of Cronkhite-Canada Syndrome Successfully Remitted by Surgical Treatment

Yasuo Kabeshima, Naoko Izawa, Kazuhito Yano, Atsushi Toizumi, Yoichiro Tamura, Takahisa Kageyama and Kotaro Kaneko*

Department of Surgery and Department of Internal Medicine*, Kasumigaura Medical Center

A Japanese woman in her 50s admitted for abdominal pain, anorexia and dysgeusia from December 2002 gradually showed finger chromatosis, nail plate atrophy, glossitis, and a 10 kg weight loss in two months. We diagnosed the case as Cronkhite-Canada syndrome. Symptoms were ameliorated by conservative treatment. Readmission was required in November 2004. Though we performed conservative treatment, bowel obstruction occurred. Colonography showed multiple granular tubercles in the ascending colon and ileal obstruction. We conducted laparoscopic ileocecal resection. Pathological diagnosis showed an inflammatory polyp of about 25 cm at terminal ileum and advanced edema. The postoperative course was good and blood albumin improved to 4.4 g/dl, body weight increased and diarrhea, chromatosis, depilation, and nail plate atrophy were resolved in 2POM. We concluded that surgery is a choice of the treatment in patients who do not respond to conservative therapy.

Key words
Cronkhite-Canada syndrome, surgical treatment, protein-losing enteropathy

Reprint requests
Yasuo Kabeshima Department of Surgery, Kawasaki Municipal Hospital
12-1 Shinkawa-dori, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, 210-0013 JAPAN

Accepted
June 28, 2006

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