Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital: Case 17-1996

During the month before admission, an illness characterized by high fever, rigors, and pneumonia responded to treatment for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, although the microorganism could not be detected on repeated sputum examinations, and a similar subsequent illness responded to treatment for Escherichia coli infection, which was believed to be due to aspiration. A computed tomographic (CT) scan of the abdomen (Figure 1 ), obtained after the oral administration of contrast material, revealed diffuse thickening of the colon, with inflammation of the adjacent mesenteric fat.