Asian Journal of Case Reports in Surgery

A Rare Cause of Small Bowel Obstruction in a 2-Year-old Child

Sara Husain *

Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery Unit, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain.

Aqeela J. Madan

Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery Unit, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain.

Saeed Alhindi

Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery Unit, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

---

Abstract

We report the case of a 2-year-old child with small bowel obstruction due to a phytobezoar. Initial imaging studies failed to identify its etiology: this included an abdominal CT scan, revealing small bowel obstruction with a transitional zone in the ileum, but without a clear cause. Phytobezoar impacted in the mid-of-the-ileum was discovered to be the source of the obstruction during an exploratory laparotomy. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis. Phytobezoar is a rare entity in children, and much less common as a cause of small bowel obstruction.

Keywords: Phytobezoar, small bowel obstruction, children.

---

---