[Peritonitis encapsulans]

Encapsulating peritonitis is characterized by the formation of a membrane which encases all or part of the abdominal viscera. It is a fibrous perivisceritis. It may answer to many different causes. Tuberculosis, though often considered, is only infrequently ascertained. Other etiologies are: trauma, colitis, jejuno-ileitis, appendicitis, etc. The clinical presentation is a subocclusive syndrome with, in some instances, a fixed abdominal mass giving a paradoxically resonant percussion note. Roentgenograms show gastroduodenal displacement, signs of stenosis, and agglutinated small bowel loops. The best procedure is excision of the membrane with complete decortication. Subsequently, the main risk is recurrence of bowel obstruction.