Small Bowel Obstruction due to an Enterolith Originating in a Jejunal Diverticulum

Mithuhiro Kato, Toshiki Rikiyama, Yoshinobu Takahashi, Shunichi Kimura

Department of Surgery, Mizusawa Hospital

A case of small bowel obstruction caused by an enterolith from a jejunal diverticulum is reported. An 88-year-old man was admitted because of vomiting for three days. Plain abdominal radiography revealed a small bowel obstruction. An operation was performed immediately, because of a diagnosis of a suspected small bowel obstruction due to tumor, however, the operative diagnosis was enterolith ileus and jejunal diverticulitis. The stone was removed from the jejunum. The diverticulum was not resected, because of mild diverticulitis. His postoperative recovery was uncomplicated. Chemical Analysis of the removed stone by high performance liquid chromatography, showed that it consisted mainly of deoxycholic acid. This is the second case of such obstruction reported in Japan and is therefore an extremely rare example.

Key words
enterolith, jejunal diverticulum, small bowel obstruction

Reprint requests
Mithuhiro Kato Department of Surgery, Mizusawa Hospital
3-1 Ootemachi, Mizusawa, 023 JAPAN

Accepted
May 13, 1992

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