A rare cause of small bowel obstruction

Abstract

QUESTIONA 30-year-old man was admitted to the gastroenterology department with a 3-month history of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain of colicky nature. The patient also complained of constipation from time to time with indefinite intervals.Physical examination findings revealed tenderness all over the abdomen, but no palpable mass was noted. The laboratory findings were unremarkable. Mesenteric computed tomography angiography was reported to be normal at another institution. Barium follow-through examination showed small bowel dilatation.Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed at our hospital revealed that the ileal segments were clustered and encapsulated within a thick oval sac in the lower abdomen (Figure 1a). Small bowel dilatation with air-fluid levels, mural enhancement, and a small amount of intraperitoneal free fluid were associated with this finding (Figure 1b). The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy with a presumptive diagnosis of bowel obstruction. 237Cite this article as: Peker E, Erden A, Erden İ, Törüner M. A rare cause of small bowel obstruction. Turk J Gastroenterol 2018; 29: 237-8.