Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome in children: a review of the literature and a series of clinical observations

Abstract

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome is a rare, polyethiological disorder that occurs mainly in young men and presents a complex of clinical, endoscopic and morphological manifestations. In addition, the widely accepted term ‘solitary ulcer’ itself is often misleading to gastroenterologists and endoscopists. This is because the macroscopic picture does not always correspond to this term and manifestations can vary from a focus of hyperemic mucosa to a giant ulcer, or several ulcers in different parts of the rectum and polypoid stem-like masses. This article summarises the literature on the manifestations of solitary rectal ulcer syndrome in children and presents our own experience in 5 patients. Besides, taking into account that all observed patients had phenotypic signs of connective tissue dysplasia, the assumption concerning the participation of this pathophysiological phenomenon in the pathogenesis of the solitary rectal ulcer syndrome in children was formulated.