Abstract:
Purpose: Phytobezoar is an uncommon cause of
mechanical intestinal obstruction, mainly in patients who have
undergone previous gastric operation. We report 12 patients
presenting with small bowel obstruction with phytobezoar.
Material and Methods: Between 1998-2005, we
operated 12 patients (7 male and 5 female, between the ages
of 40-74 years) with mechanical intestinal obstruction due to
phytobezoar. All patients had undergone previous gastric
surgery (vagotomy and gastroenterostomy).
Results: Eleven patients with acute intestinal
obstruction due to phytobezoar had emergency operation. One
patient; with intermittent obstructive symptoms had elective
laporotomy. At laparotomy, phytobezoar was found in the
distal ileum (10 cases) or jejunum (2 cases). On 6 patient, the
phytobezoars were milked into the caecum, whereas in 6
patient they were extracted through an enterotomy. An
associated gastric bezoar was found in 1 patient and removed
via a gastrotomy. All patients made an uneventful recovery.
Conclusion: Diagnosis of an obstructing bezoar should
always be suspected in cases of intestinal obstruction,
especially in patients with previous gastric operation
