Phytobezoar in a jejunal diverticulum as a cause of small bowel obstruction: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Phytobezoars are concretions of poorly digested fruit and vegetable fibers found in the alimentary tract. Previous gastric resection, gastrojejunostomy, or pyloroplasty predispose people to bezoar formation. Small-bowel bezoars nor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rauf Fozia, Khan Faiz, Tayeb Mohammad, Khan M Mumtaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2011-09-01
Series:Journal of Medical Case Reports
Online Access:http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/482
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Summary:<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Phytobezoars are concretions of poorly digested fruit and vegetable fibers found in the alimentary tract. Previous gastric resection, gastrojejunostomy, or pyloroplasty predispose people to bezoar formation. Small-bowel bezoars normally come from the stomach, and primary small-bowel bezoars are very rare. They are seen only in patients with underlying small-bowel diseases such as diverticula, strictures, or tumors. Primary small-bowel bezoars almost always present as intestinal obstructions, although it is a very rare cause, being responsible for less than 3% of all small-bowel obstructions in one series. Jejunal diverticula are rare, with an incidence of less than 0.5%. They are usually asymptomatic pseudodiverticula of pulsion type, and complications are reported in 10% to 30% of patients. A phytobezoar in a jejunal diverticulum is an extremely rare presentation.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 78-year-old Pakistani man presented to our clinic with small-bowel obstruction. Upon exploration, we found a primary small-bowel bezoar originating in a jejunal diverticulum and causing jejunal obstruction. Resection and anastomosis of the jejunal segment harboring the diverticulum was performed, and our patient had an uneventful recovery.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Primary small-bowel bezoars are very rare but must be kept in mind as a possible cause of small-bowel obstruction.</p>
ISSN:1752-1947