Small bowel obstruction caused by a shiitake mushroom: a case report

ABSTRACT

A 77-year-old male farmer sustained severe abdominal cramping pain for one hour. Contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) showed a 5.2 cm, oval lesion with interior mottled gas and slightly hyperdense component in the small bowel loop causing distension of the proximal small bowel loop. CT diagnosis of a bezoar in the small bowel causing bowel obstruction was made. Exploratory laparotomy disclosed a foreign body of soft texture in the jejunum located at 150 cm from the ligament of Treitz. A whole, undigested shiitake mushroom was noted after incision of the bowel. The patient had an uneventful course during the 9 days of hospitalization. The patient had recalled that he did not have any teeth and did not use dentures during eating, and accidentally swallowed the shiitake mushroom 2 days before the incident occurred