Small bowel diaphragm disease mimicking malignancy

Small bowel diaphragm disease from long-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use

Small bowel diaphragm disease (SBDD) is characterised by circumferential lesions of short length (<5 mm), causing intrinsic stenosis of the small bowel lumen. A 63-year-old women with a history of long-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use, presented with a 12-month history of intermittent episodes of colicky abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Her only past surgery was a laparoscopic hysterectomy. Abdominal CT demonstrated an area of thickening in the mid small bowel, however a diagnostic laparoscopy failed to demonstrate adhesions or any external abnormality. A capsule endoscope did not progress beyond the mid small bowel at the site of a suspected diaphragm. The patient underwent a laparotomy and using the retained capsule as a marker, the area of bowel affected by SBDD was identified. With an ageing population and the widespread use of non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs, general surgeons may see an increase in the incidence of SBDD.

A rare cause of small bowel diaphragm disease presenting with palpated abdominal mass

Small bowel diaphragm disease is a rare complication related to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. It presents with non-specific symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, subacute bowel obstruction and occasionally as an acute abdominal condition. We report a case of diaphragm disease in a 33-year-old female who presented with vomiting, constipation and abdominal pain started 5 days earlier. Physical examination revealed palpated abdominal mass. The patient’s past medical history was remarkable for NSAID use. The patient was managed by surgical resection of involved intestine and diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination. Although there are few published cases of diaphragm disease in the medical literature, we recommend that this disease should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses when assessing patients presenting with non-specific abdominal symptoms with remarkable past medical history of NSAID use.

Capsule Endoscopy for Ileitis with Potential Involvement of Other Sections of the Small Bowel

Ileitis is defined as inflammation of the ileum. This condition includes ulcers, aphthous ulcers, erosions, and nodular or erythematous mucosa. Various etiologies are associated with ileitis. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, infectious conditions, neoplasms, infiltrative disorders, vasculitides, spondyloarthritis, endometriosis, and radiation therapy-related conditions involve the ileum. However, the differential diagnosis of terminal ileitis can be difficult in many cases. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has become a useful tool for the diagnosis of a variety of small bowel lesions. This review describes each of the various conditions associated with ileitis and the diagnostic value of VCE for ileitis, which may help identify and evaluate these conditions in clinical practice. Based on the information provided by VCE, a definitive diagnosis could be made using the patients' medical history, clinical course, laboratory and ileocolonoscopic findings, radiologic imaging findings, and histologic findings.