Bezoar at Jejunojejunostomy Following Liver Transplant: A Case Report

During pediatric liver transplant, biliary reconstruction is often performed using Roux-en-Y choledoc-hojejunostomy or hepaticojejunostomy due to size mismatch, excessive tension caused by distance between donor and recipient ducts, or for transplant to treat primary biliary pathology. This method can be associated with additional small bowel-related complications compared with end-to-end ductal anastomosis. We report a case of late small bowel obstruction secondary to an impacted bezoar that formed at a patulous jejunojejunostomy portion of the biliary-enteric anastomosis. The patient was a 26-year-old male patient, who underwent deceased donor whole liver transplant for pediatric acute liver failure. Prior to his presentation to our institution with 2 days of abdominal pain, nausea, persistent burping, and intermittent vomiting, the patient reported an uneventful posttransplant course and was followed up at the institution where his transplant was performed. There were no reported changes in diet or lifestyle and no similar episodes during his follow-up. The patient was managed surgically after a brief trial of nonoperative management. At laparotomy, the anastomosis was resected and reconstructed to improve enteric drainage and prevent recurrent bezoar formation. The patient was discharged with no postoperative complications and remained asymptomatic at 11 months follow-up. We describe the clinical course and our technical approach at initial choledochojejunostomy creation and at jejunojejunostomy revision.