ABSTRACT
Pneumoperitoneum in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is commonly recognized as a surgical emergency that requires exploration. However, it may not be associated with bowel perforation and may be a benign disease manifestation. We present a case of a young patient who developed spontaneous pneumoperitoneum after pulse steroid therapy for lupus enteritis and was successfully managed conservatively. Patients with connective tissue disease may present with pneumoperitoneum, with or without pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis. Therefore, a detailed clinical history, thorough clinical examination, and laboratory parameters should be evaluated before proceeding with surgical intervention. A conservative approach may be attempted in patients with spontaneous pneumoperitoneum, and surgery should only be considered if clinical deterioration occurs.
ABSTRACT
Situs inversus totalis is a rare autosomal recessive congenital anomaly that is characterized by mirror image anatomy of the abdominal and thoracic organs. We report a case of a 28-year-old male with situs inversus totalis, who developed an idiopathic ileoileal and ileocolic intussusception, which was diagnosed on computed tomography scan. Patient underwent successfully ileal resection and side-to-side functional anastomosis of ileum 12 cms from ileocecal junction. Postoperative course was uneventful. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of idiopathic adult intussusception with situs inversus totalis in the literature.