Fatalities due to intestinal obstruction following the ingestion of foreign bodies

Two fatalities due to an occlusive ileus following the ingestion of foreign bodies in patients with psychiatric disorders are described. A severely mentally handicapped young man developed a temperature and died 1 h after admission to a surgical ward. At autopsy, not, vert, similar 2000 cm3 of foreign material, including broken glass and porcelain, branches, buttons, parts of clothing and other material were found in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to a complete obstruction of the distal intestine and colon with resulting faecal vomiting. The other case was even more unusual as a hair fetishist had swallowed a thick strand of his own hair, 50 cm long, also resulting in mechanical obstruction of the distal intestine

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis Presenting as Intestinal Obstruction - A Case Series.

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis is a rare disease characterized by infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract by an increased number of eosinophils as compared to the normal. The anatomic location and intensity of the infiltrate decides the varied clinical symptomatology with which these patients present. The present report deals with four cases, all presenting with clinical signs of intestinal obstruction A laparotomy performed revealed a stricture in the first case, superficial ulcers and adhesions in the second case, an ileocaecal mass in the third case and volvulus formation in the fourth case. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis was confirmed on histopathology in all the four cases. All the four patients experienced relief of symptoms after resection. It is essential to diagnose the disease to differentiate it from other conditions presenting as intestinal obstruction. The cases are presented because of the rarity of occurrence and presentation. Relevant literature has been reviewed

Unusual cause of mechanical ileus: abdominal cocoon syndrome

A 38-year-old black male patient was admitted with diarrhea and nausea over two days and aggravating pain in the meso- and epigastium that resolved after urination. He had no surgical history and only an episode of pulmonary tuberculosis five years earlier, for which he was properly treated. Physical examination revealed a tender and distended abdomen with clangorous sounds. His temperature was 36.1°C. Routine laboratory blood analyses were normal. An abdominal ultrasound revealed diffuse distention of the small intestine. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a conglomerate of dilated small bowel loops in the meso- and hypogastrium, suggestive for a supravesical mechanical small bowel obstruction. Peritoneal thickening was seen in the right epigastrium (Figure A, white arrow). An explorative laparoscopy revealed a whitish, thickened membrane encapsulating the small bowels as a ‘cocoon’ (Figure B). Extensive adhesiolysis released an intestinal kinking in the lower abdomen, just above the bladder. No resection was needed. Histopathology of the membrane showed fibrocollagenous tissue with mixed inflammatory infiltrate

Intestinal intussusception in an adult caused by helminthic parasitosis

Intestinal intussusception is an uncommon acute condition in adults and is most commonly caused by an intestinal tumor mass. Helminthic parasitosis is a widespread infection in Africa, and the load of worms is often high in individuals living in areas with inadequate sanitation. We report a case of intestinal obstruction caused by Ascaris lumbricoides infection, which was complicated by ileo-caecal intussusception and required surgical treatment in a 40-year-old Ugandan woman. This case reinforces the importance of anthelminthic prophylaxis in African rural areas

Cystic fibrosis mice carrying the missense mutation G551D replicate human genotype phenotype correlations

We have generated a mouse carrying the human G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) by a one-step gene targeting procedure. These mutant mice show cystic fibrosis pathology but have a reduced risk of fatal intestinal blockage compared with 'null' mutants, in keeping with the reduced incidence of meconium ileus in G551D patients. The G551D mutant mice show greatly reduced CFTR-related chloride transport, displaying activity intermediate between that of cftr(mlUNC) replacement ('null') and cftr(mlHGU) insertional (residual activity) mutants and equivalent to approximately 4% of wild-type CFTR activity. The long-term survival of these animals should provide an excellent model with which to study cystic fibrosis, and they illustrate the value of mouse models carrying relevant mutations for examining genotype-phenotype correlations

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in a Bernese Mountain Dog

Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction (CIPO) is a rare syndrome characterized by chronic intestinal dilation and dysmotility in the absence of mechanical obstruction. A definite diagnosis of CIPO can only be made after histological examination of intestinal tissues. The present case describes a CIPO in a 2.5-year-old Bernese Mountain dog with a history of recurrent gastro-intestinal complaints suggestive for pseudo-obstruction. Histological lesions of small intestinal samples consisted of severe loss of smooth muscle cells of the tunica muscularis and diffuse infiltration of mononuclear cells. In addition, a hypertrophy of the lamina muscularis mucosa of the small intestinal tract was present. On the basis of these findings and the results of immunohistochemistry, a myopathic form of CIPO was diagnosed