Eosinophil ileitis (author's transl)

Eosinophilic ileitis is observed mainly in three coastal areas: Holland, Japan and Brittany. It presents in the form of a parietal inflammation, stenosing the intestinal lumen or a sessile tumour of limited volume. The symptoms are generally those of appendicitis but a past history of allergy and the discovery of eosinophilia greater than 10 p. cent may lead to the diagnosis of eosinophilic granuloma which only histology can confirm. Surgical treatment consists of segmental resection of the small intestine. The pathogenesis of the granuloma, which was for long attributed to the presence in the wall of the intestine of ascaris larvae, is at present debated. Are there non-parasitic eosinophilic granulomas? The case reported here is perhaps an example.