Coexistence of abdominal cocoon,intestinal perforation andincarcerated Meckel’s diverticulum in an inguinal hernia: Atroublesome condition

Coexistence of abdominal cocoon,intestinal perforation and incarcerated Meckel's diverticulum in an inguinal hernia: A troublesome condition

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis(SEP) is a rare dis-ease entity, in which the small intestine becomes en-cased and mechanically obstructed by a dense, fibrotic membrane. The disorder is characterized as either primary(idiopathic) or secondary to other causes. The idiopathic cases of SEP, which lack any identifiable eti-ology according to clinical, radiological and histopatho-logical findings, are also reported under the designation of abdominal cocoon syndrome. The most frequent presenting symptoms of all SEP cases are nausea, vom-iting, abdominal distention and inability to defecate, all of which are associated with the underlying intestinal obstruction. Persistent untreated SEP may advance to intestinal perforation, representing a life-threatening condition. However, preoperative diagnosis remains a particular clinical challenge, and most diagnoses are confirmed only when the typical fibrous membrane en-casing the small intestine is discovered by laparotomy. Here, we report the clinical presentation of an 87-year-old male with signs of intestinal obstruction and the ul-timate diagnosis of concurrent abdominal cocoon, rightincarcerated Meckel's diverticulum, and gastrointestinal perforation in laparotomy.