Other names have been used to describe this syndrome such as ileocecal syndrome, necrotizing enteropathy, and typhlitis. This makes reference to the preferential location of the neutropenic colitis in the region of the cecum. The pathogenesis is most likely related to multiple factors such as the immunocompromised or suppressed state, neoplastic infiltration of the bowel, intestinal ischemia, and bacterial overgrowth. The preferential location within the cecum may be related to multiple factors. These would include its easy distensibility, its high bacterial count, the relative stasis of its contents, and its predisposition to mucosal ischemia.
Neutropenic colitis has several associations and predisposing factors.
It is most common in children, particularly those who develop acute leukemia, either myelogenous or lymphocytic. Patients with aplastic anemia, lymphoma, and immunosuppression as in renal transplants, may also be predisposed to developing typhlitis. The pathology of involved bowel loops demonstrate bowel wall edema, ulceration, and hemorrhage. Transmural necrosis may also occur, which is somewhat similar to that seen in necrotizing enterocolitis. Clinically, these patients most commonly present with diarrhea and abdominal pain.