[Small bowel obstruction secondary to ischemic stenosis due to cholesterol crystal embolism]. / Occlusion du grêle secondaire à une sténose ischémique par embolie de cristaux de cholestérol.

Cholesterol crystal embolization is a well-known disorder resulting from release of cholesterol crystals from ulcerous atherosclerotic plaques. Gastrointestinal involvement occurs in about a third of cases, but it is usually asymptomatic. We report a case of an old woman with small bowel obstruction secondary to atheromatous embolism. She was treated by acenocoumarol for atrial fibrillation and pulmonary embolism. Two weeks before admission for small bowel obstruction, she had a watery diarrhea. After 3 weeks of parenteral nutrition, she underwent resection of the involved ileum. Pathological examination showed a small bowel stricture secondary to atheromatous embolism. Cholesterol emboli should be considered as a potential cause of small bowel obstruction in old patient who has taken anticoagulant therapy or after vascular invasive procedure.

Illegitimate villin transcripts in normal bone marrow precludes detection of colon cancer micrometastases.

Villin is a specific marker for normal and tumoral colon tissue. We have developed a highly sensitive assay using reverse transcription (RT) and real-time PCR to detect villin transcripts. The sensitivity of detection is one colon cancer cell. However, high levels of illegitimate villin transcripts were observed in normal bone marrow, precluding the use of villin RT-PCR for routine detection of colon cancer cells in bone marrow of patients with colon cancer.