Portal venous gas following a barium enema in a patient with Crohn's colitis. A benign finding.

Hepatic portal venous gas occurring during an air-contrast barium-enema examination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease is a benign finding. Patients with chronic ulcerative colitis have experienced some morbidity, while those with Crohn's colitis have not. It may not be necessary to treat all of these patients with antibiotics, especially asymptomatic patients with Crohn's colitis.