Enterolith ileus as a complication of duodenal diverticulosis--one case report and review of the literature.

Duodenal diverticulosis is not a rare condition. Usually of little clinical significance, it can produce a variety of disorders such as malabsorption, hemorrhage, diverticulitis, and obstruction. The rarest complication appears to be enterolith formation and obstruction. The case presented is a 70-year-old woman with the chief complaints of intermittent abdominal pain and vomiting. At laparotomy, duodenal diverticulitis and one enterolith obstructing the distal ileum were found. The literature review presents the other 26 cases with small bowel obstruction due to an enterolith formed within a small bowel diverticulum. The diagnosis can be established only by documenting the normalcy of the gallbladder and the presence of duodenal or jejunal diverticula.