Abstract
A 77-year-old woman referred to the hospital because of abdominal pain was admitted with a diagnosis of simple small bowel obstruction. There were previous histories of undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and left open inguinal hernia repair. She was treated conservatively, and bowel obstruction improved. However, bowel obstruction recurred following the resumption of oral feeding. The patient was operated on for this recurrent small bowel obstruction. Laparotomy disclosed that a hard foreign body attached to the contralateral side of the ileal mesentery about 25cm to the distal ileum, and the ileum was bent around the foreign body and was adherent to it. The foreign body connected with the left inner inguinal ring via a cord. Otherwise no abnormalities which might cause intestinal obstruction were seen. A portion of the ileum by about 10cm which was bent and adherent was resected including the foreign body. Based on operative as well as macro-and microscpic findings, the foreign body was thought to be a polypropylene mesh plug used at the previous hernia repair. Small bowel obstruction caused by mesh plug after open inguinal hernia repair is rare, but it should be considered that mesh plug is one of causes of simple small bowel obstruction if a patient has a history of open inguinal herniorraphy.
