Small-bowel obstruction caused by intraluminal migration of prosthetic grafts

Two patients who had undergone prosthetic grafting in the venous system presented with small-bowel obstruction. The first had undergone mesocaval shunting with a Dacron graft and the second, replacement of the inferior vena cava with a polytetrafluoroethylene graft after an extensive resection of retroperitoneal tumor. In both instances the grafts were within the lumen of the small bowel, causing a mechanical obstruction. No evidence of retroperitoneal bleeding subsequent to detachment of the grafts was noted.