Introduction: Hepatobiliary disorders occurs in about 10 to 30% of inflammatory bowel diseases. Fatty liver and gallstones are preferentially described with Crohn's disease. Conversely, peliosis hepatis has been only exceptionally reported in association with inflammatory bowel diseases. We describe here a case of peliosis hepatis complicating a misdiagnosed Crohn's disease.
Exegesis: A 24-year-old woman was referred because of a hepatomegaly and a deterioration of the general state. The patient complained about diarrhea for 3 months and about an episode of bloody stools. There was an aphthous-like lesion on the tongue. X-ray pull-through revealed a typical aspect of terminal ileitis as seen in Crohn's disease. The liver was heterogeneous. Liver biopsy revealed a peliosis hepatis. No other possible cause of peliosis hepatis was found. Therefore, in this case, peliosis hepatis, revealed by the hepatomegaly, was associated with Crohn's disease.
Conclusion: Association between Crohn's disease and peliosis hepatis has only exceptionally been described. A priori, this complication is not a pejorative feature in inflammatory bowel disease. The pathophysiological significance of this association remains unknown.