Abdominal cocoon due to primary peritonitis: barium meal is valuable in diagnosis.
Abdominal cocoon, a rare condition in which the small bowel is encased in a membrane, resembles peritoneal fibrsis. There are only 16 case reports of this condition in the world literature. A 15-year-old girl presented with recurrent abdominal pain due to distal small bowel obstruction. Abdominal X-ray showed multiple air fluid levels like small intestinal obstruction. Contrast study revealed segregation of the small bowel loops with a dilatedproximal small intestine and gradual narrowing of the distal ileum with the obstruction; the mucosal pattern was preserved till the distal ileum. Contrast was not flowing into the colon. At laparotomy, the small intestine was seen to be encased and coiled up in a membrane. The membrane was excised, resulting in release of the obstruction.
Department of Surgical Oncology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad.
G Suryanarayana
GS
Raju
D000293:Adolescent; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography
D003287:Contrast Media; D001466:Barium Sulfate