Protein-losing enteropathy in lymphoma of the small intestine.

A patient with crampy abdominal pain was found to have involvement of the jejunum and ileum with innumerable small polypoid filling defects. At laparotomy, dilated serosal lymphatics were seen, and a diagnosis of lymphoma was established on the basis of intestinal and lymph node biopsy. Later, he was determined to have protein-losing enteropathy, and this parameter was used to assess his response to chemotherapy directed at the lymphoma.