Posttraumatic Intestinal Stenosis

ABSTRACT

We report a case of posttraumatic intestinal stenosis (PIS), an uncommon sequela of blunt abdominal trauma, in which injury to the mesentery and bowel wall results in later focal ischemic stricture of that segment. We present CT images at the time of trauma and 3 weeks later when clinical signs of intestinal obstruction occurred. At surgery, a stenotic small bowel loop was found adjacent to a healed defect in the mesentery. Histologic examination of the resected segment showed mucosal and submucosal ischemia with mucosal ulceration, mural inflammation, and fibrosis. PIS subsequent to a mesenteric tear should be included in the differential diagnosis for a patient with a history of blunt abdominal trauma and signs of intestinal obstruction.