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Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 7;14(9):e28910.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.28910. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Use of Seprafilm in a Patient With Recurrent Small Bowel Obstruction: A Case Report

Yitong Xiao  1 , Dale A Calixte  2 , Erin M Kenney  2 , Elizabeth Fry  2 , Frederick Tiesenga  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Use of Seprafilm in a Patient With Recurrent Small Bowel Obstruction: A Case Report

Yitong Xiao et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is an emergency that should be managed early to reduce the risk of bowel perforation, strangulation and subsequent life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by sepsis. A prompt diagnostic workup including imaging and lab studies is required to assess the severity of the obstruction and to establish if emergency surgery is required. We report the case of a 55-year-old male with a history of recurrent SBO, previous ventral hernia repair and indications of previous colonic tubular adenoma per colonoscopy findings. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy procedure and adhesiolysis to release the SBO. This case report emphasizes the safety and efficacy of Seprafilm placement intraoperatively in decreasing the occurrence of postoperative adhesions in abdominal laparotomy procedures.

Keywords: adhesions; seprafilm; small bowel obstruction; surgical retreatment; umbilical hernia repair.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CT scan of the abdomen
Remarkable for small bowel obstruction with dilated loops of small bowel measuring up to 3.5cm (examples indicated by yellow and blue lines with respective measurements). Fluid levels are seen within the colon (red arrows).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Exploratory laparotomy. Seprafilm installation (blue arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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