Laparoscopic Management of Intestinal Obstruction Due to Phytobezoar

Phytobezoars are a rare cause of small-bowel obstruction and an accurate preoperative diagnosis is very difficult. After diagnosis, the majority of patients in this study underwent surgery. The conventional management of small-bowel obstruction is done by laparotomy. Many studies have demonstrated that laparoscopy can be an alternative to laparotomy for the treatment of small-bowel obstruction in select patients, and it also brings the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. This report demonstrates the case of a patient with intestinal obstruction caused by phytobezoar (mango seed) who was treated laparoscopically. During the laparoscopy, a hard mass 5 cm proximal to the ileocaecal junction was palpable with graspers. An ileotomy was then performed. The bezoar was extracted and inserted into a bag. In this case, the intestinal obstruction management by laparoscopy was safe and feasible.