Mechanical small bowel obstruction precipitated by colonoscopy

Mechanical small bowel obstruction (SBO) is rare complication of colonoscopy. We present a patient who developed SBO 24 h after surveillance colonoscopy. Four years prior to this procedure, he had undergone augmentation cecocystoplasty with continent ileal conduit. He subsequently underwent laparotomy and lysis of a band adhesion that caused extrinsic compression of the ileum proximal to ileotransverse colostomy. We further review the literature, describe the salient features of colononoscopy-induced bowel obstruction, and identify the risk factors for this unusual complication.