Rare cause of intussusception in a young male with a new possible etiology - A case report

Inflammatory Fibroid Polyp (IFP) is a rare benign tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with no proven etiology. IFPs may sometimes produce complications like intussusception when present in the small bowel. This is a case report of a patient with an established diagnosis of inflammatory fibroid polyp with abdominal tuberculosis. Such co-existence has not been reported yet in literature.

In this case report we see a 22-year-old gentleman presenting with a 10-day history of generalized abdominal pain which then progressed to obstipation. X-ray abdomen findings were consistent with small bowel obstruction. Computerized tomography imaging revealed the presence of a Jejuno-ileal intussusception. The patient was taken up for emergency laparotomy and he underwent resection of the intussuscepted segment with a polyp found as the lead point accompanied by dense bowel adhesions. Histopathological examination revealed it to be a Benign Fibro epithelial Polyp. Histopathology of the resected bowel segment and mesenteric lymph node also revealed findings confirmatory of abdominal tuberculosis. This may be a possible new etiology of the fibro epithelial polyp and this co-existence has never been reported before in literature.

Tuberculosis may be a possible inciting factor for the development of benign fibro epithelial polyp in the small bowel which may in turn lead to complications such as small bowel intussusception warranting need for surgical intervention.