Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Oct;3(4):103-5.
doi: 10.4103/2231-0770.120502.

Abdominal cocoon

Affiliations
Review

Abdominal cocoon

Binit Sureka et al. Avicenna J Med. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Abdominal cocoon is an acquired benign condition in which there is encapsulation of bowel loops by a fibrous membrane. Pre-operative clinical diagnosis is usually difficult. Imaging plays a critical role in timely and accurate diagnosis. We present a brief discussion on this topic with relevant imaging findings.

Keywords: Abdominal; cocoon; encapsulation; peritonitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Abdominal cocoon in a 37-year-old male on dialysis. (a) Barium meal follow through spot image showing clustered fixed small bowel loops (arrows). (b) Coronal reformatted computed tomography image showing encapsulating membrane (arrows) with ascites and clustering of small bowel loops
Figure 2
Figure 2
Abdominal cocoon formation in 30-year-old male with previous abdominal surgery. (a) Axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showing clustering of bowel loops with fibrotic enhancing membrane (arrows). (b) Coronal reformatted image showing the encapsulation of ileal loops in a membrane (white arrow) with fluid collection within the sac and dilatation of proximal jejunum (black arrow)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Abdominal cocoon due to tuberculosis in 35-year-old female - axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography showing enhancing fibrotic membrane (white arrows) with ascites and focal dilatation of jejunal loop and necrotic mesenteric lymph nodes (black arrow)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Idiopathic abdominal cocoon in a 24-year-old girl - axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showing membrane (arrows) encapsulating the jejunal loops
Figure 5
Figure 5
Abdominal cocoon in 40-year-old male due to previous abdominal surgery (a, b) axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography showing enhancing membrane (arrows) and focal dilatation of jejunal loop

References

    1. Owtschinnikow PJ. Peritonitis chronica fibrosa incapsulata. Arch Klin Chir. 1907;83:623–34.
    1. Sieck JO, Cowgill R, Larkworthy W. Peritoneal encapsulation and abdominal cocoon. Case reports and a review of the literature. Gastroenterology. 1983;84:1597–601. - PubMed
    1. Deeb LS, Mourad FH, El-Zein YR, Uthman SM. Abdominal cocoon in a man: Preoperative diagnosis and literature review. J Clin Gastroenterol. 1998;26:148–50. - PubMed
    1. Foo KT, Ng KC, Rauff A, Foong WC, Sinniah R. Unusual small intestinal obstruction in adolescent girls: The abdominal cocoon. Br J Surg. 1978;65:427–30. - PubMed
    1. Hur J, Kim KW, Park MS, Yu JS. Abdominal cocoon: Preoperative diagnostic clues from radiologic imaging with pathologic correlation. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004;182:639–41. - PubMed