Enterolith Causing Small Bowel Obstruction: Report of a Case and Review of Literature

Enterolithiasis, also known as gastro-intestinal concretions, is an uncommon medical disorder that arises from intestinal stasis. Enteroliths are commonly caused by tuberculosis-related constriction and arise from intestinal diverticula. Small bowel obstruction caused by an enterolith is extremely uncommon and might be difficult to diagnose. The mortality rate of uncomplicated enterolithiasis is relatively low, but it rises to 3% in patients who have background comorbid illness, have significant bowel obstruction, and are diagnosed late. We present a rare case of an uncomplicated partial intestinal obstruction caused by an enterolith in an elderly male patient with small bowel diverticular disease who was treated nonoperatively and did not develop further symptoms in the six-month follow-up and discuss the difficulty in diagnosis and its management.

Automated summary

Enterolithiasis is a rare medical disorder caused by intestinal stasis, commonly associated with tuberculosis, leading to small bowel obstruction that is difficult to diagnose. Mortality rate is relatively low in uncomplicated cases, but increases in patients with comorbid illness, significant bowel obstruction, and delayed diagnosis.