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Case Reports
. 2023 Feb 6;85(3):486-489.
doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000000224. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Small bowel obstruction caused by massive ascariasis: two case reports

Affiliations
Case Reports

Small bowel obstruction caused by massive ascariasis: two case reports

Abdullahi Y Ali et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

Ascaris lumbricoides is an infestation that affects approximately one-seventh of the world's population. Ascaris lumbricoides is a common inhabitant of the intestines of people with low-socioeconomic incomes, especially in underdeveloped countries of the world. Ascaris lumbricoides infestation is more prone to infestation with serious complications such as intestinal obstruction, volvulus, intussusception, and intestinal necrosis at higher rates in children than in adults.

Case presentation: The authors present here two cases of small bowel obstruction caused by massive Ascaris lumbricoides that were admitted to the pediatric surgery service after completing a clinical and physical examination, and we operated after rehydration. Both underwent surgical resection with an end-to-end anastomosis. The patient was discharged uneventfully with a plan for de-worming treatment in 6 weeks.

Clinical discussion: Ascariasis is a round intestinal worm infestation transmitted by fecal or oral contamination. Eating and excreting ascaris eggs lead to ascariasis and excrete human feces, which contaminate foods, soil, and/or water in unsanitary environments. In contrast, in the first case of this study, the diagnosis was made by ultrasound and erect abdominal radiography, and, in the second case, an abdominal ultrasound result was equivocal and required an abdominal computed tomography scan for confirmation. Treatment of small bowel obstruction by roundworms is usually surgical, but in the absence of signs of peritonitis, medical management can give effective results, even in the case of total obstruction.

Conclusion: The type of surgery undertaken is determined by the results of the laparotomy. If the bowel was found to be intact and the obstruction was at the ileum level, milking worms to the cecum can be done with caution to avoid trauma to the bowel wall. Primary anastomosis after resection of a necrotic bowel segment and removal of the worm bolus is a suitable method for treatment of the ascariasis obstruction.

Keywords: ascariasis; gangrenous bowel; helmintiasis; resection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Abdominal radiography presenting multiple air-fluid levels, intestinal loops dilated.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ultrasound image illustrates a freely movable, long hypoechoic blind-ending tubular structure with a well-defined echogenic wall within the gut lumen (red arrow).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A and B) Contrast material-enhanced computed tomography scans of the abdomen demonstrate multiple dilated, fluid-filled and gas-filled loops of small bowel. Multiple curvilinear structures, most of which are gas filled, are seen within the bowel.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A and B) Multiple Ascaris lumbricoides roundworms are seen through the bowel wall on this intraoperative photograph.

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