A Case of Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by Endometriosis Treated with Elective Laparoscopy-assisted Ileocecal Resection

Abstract

A 21-year-old woman with no previous history was admitted for small bowel obstruction to another hospital. On the next day, she was transferred to our hospital because of the possibility of strangulated ileus. We placed an indwelling ileus tube with the result that the abdominal distention was resolved after decompression. Despite this, the disease proved resistant to conservative therapy, and we decided on surgical intervention. The laparoscopy findings showed an agglomerated portion of the ileocecal area, suggestive of endometriosis, thus we performed an ileocecal resection. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged on the 7th postoperative day. Pathological findings showed that endometrial epithelium had infiltrated the ileocecal muscle layer. The same findings were seen at the ascending colon serosa. Laparoscopic surgery is an efficacious procedure for diagnosis and treatment for patients with an intestinal obstruction, who have no history of abdominal operations.