A Case Suspected of Delayed Post-Traumatic Stenosis of the Small Bowel

Takashi Mouri, Takenori Hada, Kumiko Kato, Tsuyoshi Hirabayashi, Masataka Masubuchi and Katsuhiko Yanaga*

Department of Surgery, Atsugi City Hospital
Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine*

A 78-year-old man seen for abdominal contusions sustained in a traffic accident and treated conservatively developed repeated intestinal obstruction. Laparoscopic surgery showed a divided band obstructing the small bowel. After surgery and discharge, recurrent intestinal obstruction necessitated further open laparotomy 77 days after the first laparotomy. Intraoperative exploration found small-bowel stenosis near the previous band, which was resected. Because laparoscopy does not necessarily enable thorough observation of the entire small bowel, post traumatic stenosis of the small bowel has been reported to cause intestinal obstruction after blunt abdominal trauma. Care must therefore be taken in laparoscopy for post traumatic small-bowel obstruction.

Key words
delayed small-bowel stenosis, trauma

Reprint requests
Takashi Mouri Department of Surgery, Atsugi City Hospital
1-16-36 Mizuhiki, Atsugi, 243-8588 JAPAN

Accepted
September 26, 2007

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