[Is enterolithiasis a disease occurring more frequently in desert climate? Apropos of 8 cases]

This work is a report about 8 cases of enterolithiasis treated in our University Hospital between 1980 and 1990. We emphasize the rarity of this condition. We also note its relative frequency (5 of 8 cases) in the Bedouin population of our mostly desertic area, and question the possible impact of a diet rich in goat's milk and/or of tuberculosis, which is still endemic in some tribes. We then discuss the difficulties of diagnosis and the essential contribution of small bowel radiographs. The etiologies of enterolithiasis are reviewed, as well as the various modalities of treatment.