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Dried apricots: an unusual cause of bowel obstruction

Lino Piotto1, Roger Gent

  • 1Department of Medical Imaging, Women's and Children's Hospital, 72 King William Road, North Adelaide, South Australia, 5006, Australia.

Pediatric Radiology
|July 29, 2005
PubMed

Insights

A 16-month-old boy experienced intestinal obstruction due to ingesting whole dried apricots. These fruits swelled, causing a small-bowel obstruction (SBO) diagnosed via ultrasound (US).

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Radiology
  • Foreign Body Ingestion

Background:

  • Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency in children.
  • Foreign body ingestion is a frequent cause of gastrointestinal issues in pediatric patients.
  • Dried fruit ingestion can pose a risk for obstruction, particularly in young children.

Observation:

  • A 16-month-old boy presented with acute abdominal pain and signs of small-bowel obstruction (SBO).
  • Initial radiography suggested intussusception, but subsequent ultrasound (US) ruled this out.
  • US revealed a dilated small bowel consistent with obstruction, attributed to ingested whole dried apricots.

Findings:

  • Whole dried apricots, ingested several hours prior, had swollen within the intestinal lumen.
  • The swollen apricots acted as a bezoar, causing a complete SBO.
  • Ultrasound imaging demonstrated the impacted, swollen apricots and associated bowel dilation.

Implications:

  • This case highlights an unusual cause of pediatric SBO due to whole dried apricot ingestion.
  • It underscores the importance of considering food impaction, especially dried fruits, in the differential diagnosis of SBO in children.
  • Ultrasound is a valuable tool for diagnosing SBO and identifying the causative agent, even in atypical cases.

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