The case of a 78-year-old woman who developed pseudomembranous enterocolitis after laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy is described. When endoscopy was performed for her initial complaint of heartburn, early gastric cancer was found at the body of the lesser curvature of the stomach. She underwent a laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy.
On 7 days after surgery, she developed excessive diarrhea, and colonoscopy revealed pseudomembranous enterocolitis from the rectum to the sigmoid colon. After oral vancomycin (VCM, 2.0 g/day) was administered, her condition improved dramatically. Pseudomembranous enterocolitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe diarrhea with high fever following laparoscopic surgery. When pseudomembranous enterocolitis is suspected after the administration of antibiotics, early diagnosis by colonoscopy and treatment should be required.departmental bulletin pape
