A 45-year-old male patient presented with 6-month history of progressive subacute small bowel obstruction. After initial radiological investigations, he underwent diagnostic laparoscopy and was misdiagnosed as abdominal tuberculosis. He was started on anti-tuberculous therapy, but exploratory laparotomy was carried out after failure to respond to anti-tuberculous therapy. At laparotomy, the abdominal 鈥榗ocoon鈥?which was encapsulating the entire small bowel was excised, and the adhesions were carefully lysed. The patient remained well and without recurrence at 1-year follow-up.
Abdominal 鈥榗ocoon鈥?is a rare cause of subacute, acute and chronic small bowel obstruction. Its diagnosis is rarely made preoperatively.
Abdominal 鈥榗ocoon鈥?should be thought of as a rare cause of small bowel obstruction. It may be mistaken with abdominal tuberculosis. Surgery remains the mainstay of curative treatment.