Two cases of small bowel obstruction due to a shiitake mushroom.

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes), known as Xiang-gu in China, has been an important component of Asian cuisine for hundreds of years. Although not easily digestible, there are few reports of them causing bowel obstruction. We present two cases of small bowel obstruction due to a shiitake mushroom requiring surgical intervention. Two patients who did not have any teeth and did not use dentures presented with intestinal bowel obstruction and were referred to the Emergency Department of our hospital after eating a meal including shiitake mushrooms without cutting. The first patient underwent an emergency laparotomy and a semental small bowel resection and the other underwent laparoscopic small bowel incision for removal of a foreign body. The causes of the small bowel obstruction for the two patients were uncut shiitake mushrooms in the small bowel. The two patients recovered uneventfully post-operatively.