{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T17:01:05Z","timestamp":1781715665146,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759881600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Melanosis coli (MC) combined with pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is an exceedingly rare condition. We present the case of an 85-year-old male with a history of chronic constipation, hypertensive heart disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The patient was admitted to the hospital because of an acute sigmoid volvulus with complete intestinal obstruction. After 3\u202fdays of conservative treatment, surgical intervention was performed, consisting of sigmoidectomy with volvulus reduction and formation of a descending colostomy. Histopathological examination confirmed MC with PI and associated mucosal necrosis. The patient, unfortunately, developed severe complications and eventually died of hemorrhagic shock and circulatory failure 22\u202fdays after surgery. This case explores the potential mechanisms underlying MC complicated by PI, emphasizing the need for increased clinical vigilance in elderly diabetic patients with chronic constipation and pre-existing cardiovascular disease, particularly following the use of anthraquinone-based laxatives and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (\u03b1GIs).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1660123","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T05:38:14Z","timestamp":1759901894000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Case Report: A case of melanosis coli complicated by pneumatosis intestinalis\u2013induced volvulus"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Shuxia","family":"Bai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiangbo","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tingting","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenjia","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"266","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gastrohep.2020.01.002","article-title":"Melanosis coli: a comprehensive review","volume":"43","author":"Yang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gastroenterol Hepatol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02616828","article-title":"Melanosis coli: general review and a study of 887 cases","volume":"1","author":"Wittoesch","year":"1958","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1160480","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2023.1160480","article-title":"Review on melanosis coli and anthraquinone-containing traditional Chinese herbs that cause melanosis coli","volume":"14","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Pharmacol"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1116","DOI":"10.5152\/tjg.2023.22689","article-title":"Clinical and endoscopic features of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis: a retrospective study in 192 patients","volume":"34","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Turk J Gastroenterol"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"553","DOI":"10.4240\/wjgs.v15.i4.553","article-title":"The spectrum of pneumatosis intestinalis in the adult. A surgical dilemma","volume":"15","author":"Tropeano","year":"2023","journal-title":"World J Gastrointest Surg"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1470523","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2025.1470523","article-title":"Clinical features of pneumatosis intestinalis induced by alpha- glucosidase inhibitor in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a single center retrospective study","volume":"16","author":"Wu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e78604","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.78604","article-title":"Benign pneumatosis intestinalis in a patient with symptomatic COVID-19","volume":"17","author":"Yu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1001\/archsurg.138.1.68","article-title":"The spectrum of pneumatosis intestinalis","volume":"138","author":"Peter","year":"2003","journal-title":"Arch Surg"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"352","DOI":"10.3760\/cma.j.cn311367-20181004-00508","article-title":"Case report of melanosis coli with pneumatosis cystoids intestinals and pneumoperitoneum","volume":"40","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Chin J Dig"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/14740338.2023.2278708","article-title":"Pneumatosis intestinalis associated with \u03b1-glucosidase inhibitors: a pharmacovigilance study of the FDA adverse event reporting system from 2004 to 2022","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Expert Opin Drug Saf"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"783","DOI":"10.2147\/IMCRJ.S475869","article-title":"Colonoscopic resolution of melanosis coli after cessation of senna laxative use","volume":"17","author":"Chiba","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int Med Case Rep J"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1666s","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers14071666","article-title":"Pneumatosis intestinalis induced by anticancer treatment: a systematic review","volume":"14","author":"Gazzaniga","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cancers (Basel)"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1660123\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T05:38:16Z","timestamp":1759901896000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1660123\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]]},"references-count":12,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2025.1660123"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1660123","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]]},"article-number":"1660123"}}