ABSTRACT
History A 72-year-old woman presented to the accident and emergency department with increasing nausea, distension and crampy lower abdominal pain over the previous 2 weeks. Over a similar time course there has been bright red blood mixed in with her stools and a slight feeling of incomplete emptying after going to the toilet. There was no history of vomiting. She was normally very independent and had not wanted to bother her general practitioner (GP). However, the pain had become increasingly unbearable such that her husband called an ambulance.
