Case report: Intramural haemorrhage of the colon

Summary Two cases of acute abdominal crisis due to intramural haemorrhage of the colon are presented with a review of the literature. One was a 10‐year‐old Nigerian boy; the haemorrhage occurred in the caecum and ascending colon. The other was a 69‐year‐old Caucasian woman with a haemorrhage in the colonic splenic flexure and descending colon. Both had a one‐stage resection with anastomosis. The child survived; the woman died two days after the operation. The preoperative diagnosis of bleeding colonic lesions remains difficult especially when facilities for investigation are scarce. It is re‐emphasized that in patients with acute abdomen it is not necessary to insist on accurate preoperative diagnosis before offering appropriate treatment.