An unusually high incidence of gastrointestinal obstruction by persimmon bezoars in Israeli patients after ulcer surgery.
Seventy-seven patients presented with gastrointestinal obstruction due to phytobezoars during a 5-mo period. Most of the patients (88.3%) had a history of persimmon ingestion, and all had previous surgery for ulcer disease. Seventy-one patients were treated surgically; 67 because of intestinal obstruction and 4 for extraction of gastric phytobezoars. Five patients were reoperated once and 1 patient twice because of retained phytobezoars. Six patients were treated conservatively. Seventy-five patients recovered after surgical or conservative therapy, and 2 patients died. Patients who have undergone gastric surgery should be warned about the risk of persimmon ingestion.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001630:Bezoars / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy