Mei SB, Liu J, Wang Y, Hu P, Cao Q. Inferior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula: Three case reports. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(8): 108656 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i8.108656]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qian Cao, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China. caoq@zju.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2025; 17(8): 108656 Published online Aug 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i8.108656
Inferior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula: Three case reports
Si-Bin Mei, Jing Liu, Yu Wang, Peng Hu, Qian Cao
Si-Bin Mei, Jing Liu, Yu Wang, Qian Cao, Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China
Peng Hu, Department of Radiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Mei SB, Liu J, Wang Y, Hu P collected and summarized case data, wrote and revised the manuscript; Cao Q revised the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors disclose no conflicts.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qian Cao, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China. caoq@zju.edu.cn
Received: April 21, 2025 Revised: May 26, 2025 Accepted: July 1, 2025 Published online: August 27, 2025 Processing time: 128 Days and 3.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Inferior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula (IMAVF) is an extremely rare condition characterized by abnormal communication between the inferior mesenteric artery and vein. IMAVF often mimics ischemic bowel disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), leading to diagnostic challenges and treatment failures.
CASE SUMMARY
Three consecutive cases presented with non-specific symptoms including perianal pain and bloody diarrhea were reported. Initial diagnosis included acute severe UC and ischemic colitis. Pathology suggested ischemic changes, and with further contrast-enhanced computed tomography together with digital subtraction angiography which confirmed the diagnosis of IMAVF. All three cases were treated by vascular embolization, and symptoms improved rapidly following treatment.
CONCLUSION
We presented the largest single center IMAVF series with detailed clinical characteristics, facilitating early diagnosis for similar cases in the future.
Core Tip: Inferior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula (IMAVF) is a rare condition characterized by abnormal communication between the inferior mesenteric artery and vein. Presentations of IMAVF are usually non-specific and therefore poses diagnostic challenge and delay. We reported three consecutive cases of IMAVF that mimics ulcerative colitis and ischemic bowel disease, and provided a brief literature review, aiming to facilitate rapid recognition and timely treatment in clinical practice.
