Abstract
A 52-year-old man was admitted with abdominal pain. Abdominal enhanced CT scan revealed a mechanical ileus due to a band near the end of the ileum. An emergency operation was performed, because a strangulated ileus was suspected. During the surgery, the small intestine was found to be covered by a thin film, and the band was found to be located in the ileum, 10 cm proximal to the end of Bauhin's valve. The film was identified as the left mesocolon, and the band was identified as the inferior mesenteric artery, which had diverged from the superior mesenteric artery. A partial resection of the small intestine and an anastomosis in the front of the inferior mesenteric artery were performed. The patient's postoperative course was good, and the patient left the hospital on the 14th day. We report an extremely rare case of ileus caused by the abnormal divergence of the inferior mesenteric artery. This is the first such reported case.
