A Case of Retroperitoneal Abscess Developing After Duodenal Perforation by a Bezoar

Abstract

We report the case of a patient with a bezoar, in whom a retroperitoneal abscess developed secondary to duodenal perforation by the bezoar. An 80-year-old woman visited our hospital with about a 1-month history of fever and persistent anorexia. Abdominal CT revealed a retroperitoneal abscess and a sponge-like mass in the duodenum. Surgery was performed based on the diagnosis of retroperitoneal abscess secondary to duodenal perforation caused by the bezoar. The patient, however, eventually died of septic shock. Bezoars are concretions of foreign matter in the gastrointestinal tract that may rarely cause gastric ulcer or gastrointestinal obstruction. However, gastrointestinal perforation caused by a bezoar is rare. This case serves to emphasize that early treatment is important in patients diagnosed as having a bezoar, as the condition is associated with a risk of gastrointestinal perforation and sometimes fatal complications.