Severe abdominal pain after colostomy
Harmsen, A.M.K.; Tenhagen, M.; Cense, H.A.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 157(20): A6046
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 23676132 Document Number: 670443
A 57-year-old man with a history of laparoscopic loop colostomy presented with acute abdominal pain. An abdominal CT-scan demonstrated a closed-loop bowel obstruction. On exploratory laparotomy, we encountered an ischemic small bowel segment herniating through a mesocolic defect. After reposition, the bowel appeared viable. Internal herniation is a rare cause of small bowel obstruction and has a high mortality rate due to strangulation and bowel ischemia.