Sonographic diagnosis of four water beads causing small-bowel obstruction in an 18-month-old boy

We report a rare case of sonographic (US) diagnosis of four water beads causing small-bowel obstruction in an 18-month-old boy. The boy presented with a 3-day history of repeated bouts of abdominal pain and vomiting, which became bilious on the last day. Abdominal US examination showed four rounded anechoic masses in the small bowel. Urgent exploratory laparotomy revealed that the obstruction was caused by three large water beads with a diameter of 2.8 cm and fragments of a fourth one. Foreign bodies should be considered in cases of small-bowel obstruction; US can be very helpful in the diagnosis of water beads in the bowel.