Congenital peritoneal encapsulation of the small intestine: A rare case report.

INTRODUCTION

Peritoneal Encapsulation (PE) is a scarce congenital malformation, characterized by a supplementary peritoneal membrane that covers all or a part of the small intestine.

PRESENTATION OF CASE: PE was unexpectantly discovered in a young woman during laparotomy for bowel obstruction. There were no specific pre-operative indications of this malformation. The operation was uneventful.

DISCUSSION: PE is a very rare congenital anatomical anomaly that is difficultly identified pre-operatively. PE is mainly asymptomatic, but in some cases, like in the presented one, PE presents with small bowel obstruction. Surgeons should be aware of this malformation and suspect it when encountering a patient with small bowel obstruction without other etiological factors.

CONCLUSION

Knowledge of this peculiar congenital anomaly is pivotal, so that accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of it are direct and efficient.