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Introduction

Bezoars are uncommon findings in the gastrointestinal tract and are composed of a wide variety of materials. We report a case of a relapsing metal bezoar in a man with schizophrenia.

Case presentation

A 34-year-old man presented with a history of sub-acute onset of mild diffuse abdominal pain and abdominal distention. Physical examination revealed dullness to percussion in the upper and lower left quadrants. Past medical history was remarkable for epilepsy, schizophrenia and previous abdominal surgery for intestinal occlusion. Plain radiographs revealed objects of metal density contained within a dilated stomach. Celiotomy was performed revealing more than 350 metal objects inside the stomach. The patient was discharged and referred to a psychiatric facility.

Conclusion

Intestinal occlusion in patients with psychiatric disorders can result from rare causes such as bezoars. This report alerts surgeons to rule out bezoars in the differential diagnosis of intestinal occlusion in people with mental health problems.

Introduction

Gastric outlet obstruction usually presents with non-bilious vomiting, colicky epigastric pain, loss of appetite and occasionally, upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Causes can be classified as benign or malignant, or as extra- or intraluminal. Gastrojejunostomy is a well-recognised surgical procedure performed to bypass gastric outlet obstruction. A bezoar occurs most commonly in patients with impaired gastrointestinal motility or with a history of gastric surgery. It is an intestinal concretion, which fails to pass along the alimentary canal.

Case presentation

A 62-year-old Asian woman with a history of gastrojejunostomy for peptic ulcer disease was admitted to hospital with epigastric pain, vomiting and dehydration. All investigations concluded gastric outlet obstruction secondary to a "stricture" at the site of gastrojejunostomy. Subsequent laparotomy revealed that the cause of the obstruction was a bezoar.

Conclusion

Many bezoars can be removed endoscopically, but some will require operative intervention. Once removed, emphasis must be placed upon prevention of recurrence. Surgeons must learn to recognise and classify bezoars in order to provide the most effective therapy.

Bezoars are concretions of undigested material in the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the stomach. Duodenojejunal localization of bezoars is exceptional. We report a case of a 27-year-old woman who experienced nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain for one week. By palpation a mobile and sensitive mass, 15 × 15 cm, was detected, which filled the upper quadrant. Results of gastric endoscopy were normal. X-ray and ultrasonography suggested a bezoar. A laparotomy revealed that the jejunum was fissured by the trichobezoar ball. This trichobezoar mass was totally excised by intestinal resection.

Conclusion:

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of duodenojejunal fissuration caused by trichobezoar in an adult. Among patients with high subocclusif syndrome, duodenojejunal bezoar should remain a possibility in differential diagnosis.

Background

Bezoars usually present as a mass in the stomach. The patient often has a preceding history of some psychiatric predisposition. Presentation could be in the form of trichophagy followed by trichobezoar (swallowing of hair leading to formation of bezoar), orphytobezoar (swallowing of vegetable fibres). Rapunzel syndrome is a condition where the parent bezoar is in the stomach and a tail of the fibres or hair extends in to the jejunum. Presentation as intestinal obstruction due to a bezoar in the intestine without a parent bezoar in the stomach is rare, therefore we report it here.

Case report

A 35 year old lady tailor with a previous history of receiving treatment for depression on account of being infertile- years after her marriage, presented to the surgical emergency department with features of acute intestinal obstruction. Exploratory laparotomy and enterotomy revealed a cotton bezoar in the terminal ileum without a parent bezoar in the stomach. She was managed by resection of the affected segment of the ileum and end-to-end anastomosis of the bowel. In the postoperative period the patient gave a history of ingesting cotton threads whenever she was depressed.

Conclusion

Presence of cotton bezoar is rare and an intestinal bezoar in the absence of parent bezoar in the stomach is still rarer.

Introduction

The differential diagnoses of acute abdomen in children include common and rare pathologies. Within this list, different types of bezoars causing gastrointestinal obstruction have been reported in the literature and different methods of management have been described. The aim of this article is to highlight a rare presentation of lactobezoars following prolonged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding and its successful surgical management.

Case presentation

A 16-year-old boy was admitted to a paediatric ward with abdominal distension and high output from his permanent gastrostomy feeding tube, with drainage of bilious fluids. The clinical, radiological and endoscopical examinations were suggestive of partial duodenal obstruction with multiple bezoars in the stomach and duodenum. Gastrojejunostomy was performed after the removal of 14 bezoars. The child had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on the sixth postoperative day in a stable condition.

Conclusion

Lactobezoars should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in patients with percutaneous endogastric feeding. Endoscopy is important in making the diagnosis of this surgical condition of the upper gastrointestinal tract in a child.

A phytobezoar is the most common type of bezoar, which is a gastrointestinal mass composed of vegetable. A persimmon is a common cause of a phytobezoar. The majority of bezoars are found in the stomach, with the small intestine being the next most commonly involved site. The colon is a rare site for a bezoar. Recently, we experienced a colonic bezoar that caused colonic obstruction in a 66-year-old female patient who took persimmons regularly. The patient came to the hospital because of abdominal pain and distension. To differentiate a tumor or other problems that can cause intestinal obstruction, we performed an abdominal computed tomography scan and found an ovoid intraluminal mass with a mottled gas pattern in the distal descending colon. A large impacted bezoar was seen in the sigmoid colon, which was completely obstructed, and it was successfully removed by using colonoscopy.

Bezoars are concretions of foreign materials that impair gastrointestinal motility or cause intestinal obstruction in the stomach, small intestine or bowel of humans or animals. There are many types of them such as phyto, lacto and trichobezoars. Although bezoars are not rare, multiple giant bezoars which totally fill the stomach lumen and have extension to the small intestine (Rapunzel syndrome) are very rare. This is a case report of a young girl who had a history of trichophagia and presented with partial gastric and intestinal obstructive signs. The patient was healthy, and her physical exam was almost normal and the only positive thing in her past medical history was trichophagia from several years ago. She had a big trapped bobble in her stomach and several air-fluid levels in abdominal radiograph and was investigated with endoscopy which confirmed the diagnosis of a huge gastric trichobezoar.

INTRODUCTION

Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) is a clinical syndrome characterized by abdominal pain and postprandial vomiting. Causes of GOO include both benign and malignant disease. Bezoars, concretions of undigested or partially digested material in the gastrointestinal tract, are a rare entity and GOO due to duodenal bezoar is an uncommon presentation.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report the case of a 56-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department acutely with a 3-day history of epigastric pain, weakness and postprandial nonbilious vomiting. Initially, an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) was performed to evaluate the cause of the GOO. A solid impacted bezoar was detected in the first portion of the duodenum with complete obstruction of the pyloric canal. In spite of multiple attempts for fragmentation using different devices, the extraction attempts failed. We administered acetylcysteine and cola per os. Abdominal computerized tomography was obtained and showed a solid mass in the duodenum. UGE was performed once more however, the mass was not suitable for fragmentation and removal. Thus, surgical treatment was decided. The bezoar was extracted via gastrotomy. The postoperative period was uneventful.

DISCUSSION

Even if a duodenal bezoar is small, because of its location it may cause GOO with abruptly clinical features. The diagnostic approach is similar to the other causes of the GOO. However, therapeutic options differ for each patient.

CONCLUSION

We should remember all the therapeutic and diagnostic options for a patient with upper gastrointestinal bezoars who present at the hospital whether or not there is a predisposing risk factor.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to observe the clinical features of a bezoar-induced small bowel obstruction and to investigate the role of abdominal computed tomography (CT) in establishing the diagnosis.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 20 cases of bezoar-induced small bowel obstruction in our hospital from 1996 to 2010.

Results

Thirteen patients (65%) had a history of abdominal surgery. Nine patients (45%) were diagnosed with a bezoar before surgery, seven patients were diagnosed by using abdominal CT, and two patients were diagnosed with a small bowel series. Abdominal CT was performed in 15 patients, and the diagnostic accuracy was 47% (7/15). Surgery revealed ten bezoars in the jejunum and 11 in the ileum. Two patients had bezoars found concurrently in the stomach. Spontaneous removal took place in two patients. An enterotomy and bezoar extraction was performed in 15 patients. Fragmentation and milking, a small bowel resection, and a Meckel's diverticulectomy were performed in one patient each. Early operative treatment was possible (P = 0.036) once the bezoar had been diagnosed by using abdominal CT. There tended to be fewer postoperative complications in patients who were diagnosed with a bezoar by using abdominal CT, but the result was not statistically significant (P = 0.712).

Conclusion

A preoperative diagnosis of bezoar-induced small bowel obstruction by using clinical features was difficult. Increased use of abdominal CT led to a more accurate diagnosis and to earlier surgery for bezoar-induced small bowel obstructions, thereby reducing the rate of complications.

We report the unusual case of a 45-year-old woman who presented with multiple episodes of small bowel obstruction. Initial exploratory lap-roscopy did not reveal an etiology of the obstruction. Subsequent upper endoscopy identified a non-obstructing gastric trichobezoar which could not be removed endoscopically but was not thought to be responsible for the small bowel obstruction given its location. One week postoperatively, the patient experienced recurrence of small bowel obstruction. Repeat endoscopy disclosed that the trichobezoar was no longer located in the stomach and upon repeat laparotomy was extracted from the mid-jejunum. In the following 8 months, the patient had no further episodes of small bowel obstruction. Consequently, gastric bezoars should be included in the differential diagnosis of recurrent small bowel obstruction.

Bezoars are concretions of indigestible materials in the gastrointestinal tract. It generally develops in patients with previous gastric surgery or patients with delayed gastric emptying. Cases of periampullary duodenal divericular bezoar are rare. Clinical manifestations by a bezoar vary from no symptom to acute abdominal syndrome depending on the location of the bezoar. Biliary obstruction or acute pancreatitis caused by a bezoar has been rarely reported. Small bowel obstruction by a bezoar is also rare, but it is a complication that requires surgery. This is a case of acute pancreatitis and subsequent duodenal obstruction caused by a large duodenal bezoar migrating from a periampullary diverticulum to the duodenal lumen, which mimicked pancreatic abscess or microperforation on abdominal computerized tomography. The patient underwent surgical removal of the bezoar and recovered completely.

Background

A 43-year-old female patient presented with a chief complaint of upper abdominal pain. As her complaints had lasted for 1 month, an upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy was performed and discovered a bezoar in the stomach.

Case presentation

The bezoar was quite hard and light green-yellow in color. Pathological examination revealed phytobezoar. The patient was hospitalized and given oral Coca-Cola® Zero for seven days at a dose of 500 mL three times daily.

Conclusion

The upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy performed at the end of 7 days showed that the phytobezoar had softened and become smaller. The phytobezoar was broken into pieces with biopsy forceps and washing was applied, so the phytobezoar pieces could pass through the pylorus. The patient was discharged after the procedure without problem.

Introduction

Emphysematous gastritis (EG) is a rare and often fatal disorder involving infection of the gastric wall by gas-forming organisms.

Presentation of case

We present the case of a 25-year-old diabetic man with severe gastroparesis, who complained of vomiting and right upper quadrant pain. The surgical consultant exam in the emergency department revealed a tender but not acute abdomen. On abdominal computed tomographic imaging, there was gas throughout the wall of the stomach but no evidence of gastric perforation. The patient was treated non-operatively with antibiotics, bowel rest, serial abdominal exams, and upper endoscopy (EGD).

Discussion

EG has been associated with overall mortality rates exceeding 50%. Early recognition and administration of antibiotics is essential to reduce mortality risk. Indications for laparotomy include perforation or uncontrolled sepsis.

Conclusion

EG can occur in diabetics with gastroparesis complicated by a bezoar and hyperemesis. Gastric pneumatosis is not an absolute indication for celiotomy as antibiotics and surgical vigilance may be appropriate and curative therapy.

Introduction

Patients with mechanical small-bowel obstructions usually present with abdominal pain, vomiting, absolute constipation and varying degrees of abdominal distention. Causes can be classified as benign or malignant, or as extra- or intraluminal. A bezoar occurs most commonly in patients with impaired gastrointestinal motility. In edentulous older patients with abnormal food habits, it can also be an intestinal concretion that fails to pass along the alimentary canal.

Small bowel phytobezoars are rare and almost always obstructive. In a normal stomach, vegetable fibres that cannot pass through the pylorus undergo hydrolysis within the stomach, which softens them enough to go through the small bowel.

We present an unusual case of small intestinal obstruction caused by a phytobezoar in a patient who had neither a history of gastric surgery nor of intestinal pathology.

Case presentation

A 70-year-old Iraqi Kurdish man was hospitalized due to abdominal pain, vomiting and dehydration. Investigations concluded small intestinal obstruction. Subsequent laparotomy revealed that the cause of the obstruction was an eggplant phytobezoar.

Conclusion

Many types of bezoar can be removed endoscopically, but some will require operative intervention. Subsequently, prevention of any recurrence should be emphasized.

Background

Phytobezoar may be a cause of bowel obstruction in patients with previous gastric surgery. Most bezoars are concretions of poorly digested food, which are usually formed initially in the stomach. Intestinal obstruction (esophageal and small bowel) caused by an occupational bezoar has not been reported.

Case presentation

A 70-year old male is presented suffering from esophageal and small bowel obstruction, caused by an occupational bezoar. The patient has worked as a carpenter for 35 years. He had undergone a vagotomy and pyloroplasty 10 years earlier. The part of the bezoar, which caused the esophageal obstruction was removed during endoscopy, while the part of the small bowel was treated surgically. The patient recovered well and was discharged on the 8th postoperative day.

Conclusions

Since occupational bezoars may be a cause of intestinal obstruction (esophageal and/or small bowel), patients who have undergone a previous gastric surgery should avoid occupational exposures similar to the presented case.

Background

The formation of bile duct bezoars is a rare event. Its occurrence when there is no history of choledochoenteric anastomosis or duodenal diverticulum constitutes an extremely scarce finding.

Case presentation

We present a case of obstructive jaundice, caused by the concretion of enteric material (bezoars) in the common bile duct following choledochoduodenal fistula development. Six years after cholecystectomy, a 60-year-old female presented with abdominal pain and jaundice. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography demonstrated multiple filling defects in her biliary tract. The size of the obstructing objects necessitated surgical retrieval of the stones. A histological assessment of the objects revealed fibrinoid materials with some cellular debris. Post-operative T-tube cholangiography (9 days after the operation) illustrated an open bile duct without any filling defects. Surprisingly, a relatively long choledochoduodenal fistula was detected. The fistula formation was assumed to have led to the development of the bile duct bezoar.

Conclusion

Bezoar formation within the bile duct should be taken into consideration as a differential diagnosis, which can alter treatment modalities from surgery to less invasive methods such as more intra-ERCP efforts. Suspicions of the presence of bezoars are strengthened by the detection of a biliary enteric fistula through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Furthermore, patients at a higher risk of fistula formation should undergo a thorough ERCP in case there is a biliodigestive fistula having developed spontaneously.

Bouveret's Syndrome is obstruction of the duodenum secondary to an impacted gallstone, usually without the presence of pneumobilia. With the steadily increasing life expectancy, greater numbers of these cases are being seen. Gallstones enter the gastrointestinal tract following fistula formation between the gallbladder and an adjacent hollow viscus and may cause obstruction at any point along the intestinal tract. Duodenal obstruction is the least common and represents only a very small percentage of cases. The presenting signs of nausea vomiting, abdominal cramping, and the absence of abdominal distension should alert the clinician to pathology in the proximal small bowel. The purpose of this report is to heighten the awareness of the primary care physicians, emergency room doctors, and surgeons to this diagnosis in elderly patients so that it can be included in the differential with the usual causes of gastric outlet obstruction--including ulcer disease; neoplasm; gastric volvulus; and other enteroliths, such as bezoars. Early diagnosis is critical, as these cases require urgent surgical intervention. Early resuscitation, diagnosis, and treatment are essential for a successful outcome.

Images

Phytobezoar is the most common type of bezoar. It is composed of indigestible vegetable matter and is usually found in the stomach. Biliary phytobezoar is extremely rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. The pathogenesis is not clear, and there have been only a few reports of biliary bezoars associated with sphincteric impairmentat the ampulla of Vater. Here, we present a report of biliary bezoar that resulted in jejunal obstruction. We were unable to identifythe bezoar in the extrahepatic bile duct until it obstructed the small bowel lumen. To our knowledge, this is the first report of small bowel obstruction resulting frommigration of a biliary bezoar.

A 10-year-old boy presented with 9 months history of gradually worsening, recurrent postprandial upper abdominal pain, bilious vomiting and loss of weight. On examination the child was undernourished, had epigastric fullness and succusion splash was positive. Ultrasonography of the abdomen suggested a massively distended stomach, while an upper gastrointestinal contrast study showed a hugely dilated stomach along with dilated first and second parts of the duodenum with abrupt cut off at the level of third part of duodenum. Contrast enhanced CT scan of the abdomen revealed dilatation of the second part of the duodenum without any obvious abnormality of the aorta-superior mesenteric artery angle. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed retained fluid and food material within a dilated stomach and second part of the duodenum; scope could not be negotiated into the third part because of an extrinsic compression. The child was diagnosed to be suffering from Wilkie’s syndrome. Exploratory laparotomy, performed when conservative management failed, revealed compression of the third part of duodenum by a shortened ligament of Trietz and dense peritoneal bands near the third part of duodenum. The duodenal obstruction was bypassed by performing duodenojejunostomy. The child had an uneventful postoperative recovery. He gained around 6.8 kilograms within next five months.

A bezoar is an intraluminal mass formed by the accumulation of undigested material in the gastrointestinal tract. A trichobezoar is a bezoar made up of hair and is a rare cause of bowel obstruction of the proximal gastrointestinal tract. They are seen mostly in young women with trichotillomania and trichotillophagia and symptoms include epigastric pain, nausea, loss of appetite and bowel or gastric outlet obstruction. We herein describe a case of a trichobezoar that presented as a gastric outlet obstruction and was subsequently successfully removed via a laparotomy.

Bezoars are conglomerates of undigested organic matter, which forms a mass in the gastrointestinal tract. This report describes a patient who developed a gastric bezoar from ingesting a large number of metal objects in order to “treat” his pulmonary tuberculosis.

This paper describes a rare complication of enteral feeding, esophageal obstruction due to feeding formula bezoar, and reviews the published cases. An attempt to re-insert the nasogastric tube in a chronically ventilated 80-year-old female fed via a nasogastric tube with Jevity® failed. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed an 18 cm-long concretion of the feeding formula, filling most of the esophageal lumen, which was removed endoscopically. Forty-two cases of feeding formula esophageal bezoars have been reported in the literature. The formation of feeding formula bezoars is triggered by acidic gastroesophageal reflux. The acidic pH in the esophagus causes clotting of the casein in the formula. Predisposing factors for bezoar formation are: mechanical ventilation, supine position, neurological diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, obesity and history of partial gastrectomy. Diagnosis and removal of the bezoar is done endoscopically. Feeding in a semi-recumbent position, administration of prokinetic agents and proton pump inhibitors may prevent this complication.

This report describes a laparoscopic approach for the removal of a large gastric bezoar.

Background and Objectives:

Gastric bezoars are a rare clinical entity, most commonly observed in patients with mental or emotional illness. Large bezoars can be difficult to remove laparoscopically without extending a port incision.

Methods:

We report the case of a large symptomatic trichobezoar with Rapunzel syndrome that occurred in a 17-year-old girl who had trichotillomania.

Results:

The bezoar was removed laparoscopically, in piecemeal fashion, through a gastrotomy port. This procedure did not require an extension of any incision, nor did it require the contents of the stomach to directly touch the incision, thereby reducing the risk of infection. The patient was discharged home, on the fourth postoperative day, free of any complications.

Conclusion:

This case illustrates the safety of the laparoscopic approach in the removal of large gastric bezoars. In considering use of this approach, the potentially long operative time must be weighed against the benefits of both minimal risk of infection and minimal incisions.

Introduction

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.

Case presentation

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.

Conclusion

Primary small-bowel bezoars are very rare but must be kept in mind as a possible cause of small-bowel obstruction.

Background and Objective:

We present the case of a female patient 29 years of age with antecedents of laparoscopic laser ablation for endometriosis, laparoscopic appendectomy, and umbilical hernioplasty.

Methods:

The patient was admitted to the hospital's emergency room for abdominal pain in the epigastrium, transfixing, irradiating to both upper quadrants and to the lumbar region, accompanied by nausea and gastrobiliary vomiting. Lipase determination was 170 mg/dL. Other laboratory findings were normal. Plain abdominal films on the patient's admission were normal, and computed tomography (CT) showed data compatible with acute pancreatitis. Without improvement during the patient's hospital stay, pain and vomiting increased in intensity and frequency.

Results:

New abdominal x-rays revealed dilatation of small bowel loops. Management was begun for intestinal obstruction, with intravenous hydration and placement of a nasogastric tube without a good response. At 48 hours, a diagnostic laparoscopy was performed, revealing a 3-cm internal hernia in the left broad ligament in which a 20-cm segment of terminal ileum was encased. We performed liberation of the ileal segment and closed the hernial orifice by using the laparoscopic approach.

Conclusion:

The patient's evolution was excellent.