Background: Carcinoid tumors are rare, slow-growing neuroendocrine
neoplasms that often are indolent and may not become clinically
apparent until there has been metastatic spread or evidence of
carcinoid syndrome.
Case report: A 44-year old man who presented to our clinic with
chronic crampy left lower quadrant pain, mass and severe anemia
had a history of previous cancer operation from the left colon. The MR scan demonstrated a calcified mesenteric mass sized 12*8*10
cm, with surrounding left colon mesenteric infiltration. The liver was
normal. A case of ischaemic ileal necrosis associated with elastic
vascular sclerosing substances secreted by mesenteric metastases
of an ileal carcinoid tumor is presented here.
Conclusion: It is postulated that intestinal ischaemia may be of
more importance in the development of abdominal pain in carcinoid
tumors than that has generally been accepted, and that it is a result
of the functional and structural changes in the mesenteric blood
vessels, caused by substances secreted by the carcinoid tumor.