Behcet's syndrome: an unusual cause of colonic ulceration and perforation.

Behcet's syndrome is a multisystem disease which may produce not only the original triad of relapsing iridocyclitis and recurrent oral and genital ulceration but also skin, central nervous system, joint and gastrointestinal disease. A fatal outcome is uncommon but may occur when the central nervous system or the gastrointestinal tract is involved. We present a patient with colonic ulceration progressing rapidly to free perforation and generalized peritonitis successfully treated by emergency resection.