Pelvic organ prolapse: An unusual cause of small bowel obstruction

We present the rare case of a small bowel obstruction secondary to pelvic organ prolapse (POP). A 77-year-old female presented with four days of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. She had a history of abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-opherectomy and a mildly symptomatic cystocele. She was found to have an enterocele causing small bowel obstruction. The enterocele was manually reduced and subsequently managed non-operatively with a pessary. Prior case reports of small bowel obstructions secondary to POP required emergent surgical intervention. Post-menopausal women should be asked about symptoms or presence of pelvic organ prolapse and in the correct patient population, pelvic examination can be important for diagnosis and treatment of small bowel obstruction. If the enterocele is manually reduced non-operative management can be safe and effective.