[Acute peritonitis as a complication of Crohn's disease of the colon (author's transl)].

Acute peritonitis is a rare complication of Crohn's disease of the colon. We present the case of a young woman with peritonitis complicating an acute exacerbation of Crohn's disease of the colon. Seventeen other cases from the literature show that perforation may be the first manifestation of the disease or may occur during an acute exacerbation of a chronic form. With the presently limited experience, the optimal surgical treatment has not been defined.