Abdominal Cocoon: A Rare Entity ()
ABSTRACT
Background:
Abdominal cocoon is a rare disease where small intestine is enclosed in a
membrane and commonly presents with features of bowel obstruction. Case
Reports: We present two cases: one 28 years old male presented with abdominal
pain and was diagnosed as abdominal cocoon at laparotomy; and another 81 years
old female, a case of sigmoid cancer, was diagnosed at laparotomy as abdominal
cocoon. In both cases membrane enclosing small intestine was excised. Histopathology
of membrane was reported as fibro-collagenous tissue. Discussion: Abdominal
cocoon is a rare entity, and its etiology is poorly understood. In most of
cases preoperative diagnosis is not made with certainty despite of advancement
in imaging. So, most of cases are diagnosed at laparotomy. Excision of membrane
is the definitive treatment of abdominal cocoon. Conclusion: A high index of
suspicion is required for diagnosing abdominal cocoon.
Share and Cite:
Akeel, N. , Mansouri, M. and Zaidi, N. (2014) Abdominal Cocoon: A Rare Entity.
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
3, 508-512. doi:
10.4236/crcm.2014.39111.