Spontaneous mesenteric hemorrhage associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

The vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a genetic disorder of connective tissue and is frequently associated with catastrophic arterial complications. Its surgical treatment is extremely difficult because of the fragility of vessels. This article describes three patients with vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who developed mesenteric hemorrhage due to spontaneous arterial rupture. The clinical and molecular characteristics of the disease are briefly reviewed. (J Gastrointest Surg, 2006;-10:583-585) (c) 2006 The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.