Mesenteric Heterotopic Ossification as a Cause of Intestinal Obstruction in a Patient with a Septic Abdomen

Abstract

Case presentation. A 49-year-old male, with a history of blunt abdominal trauma with a blunt object without hemodynamic alterations. The focused trauma ultrasound was positive for free fluid in the abdominal cavity in three windows. Treatment. The patient underwent multiple exploratory laparotomies with peritoneal lavage after presenting a septic abdomen (Björk 4), who after 38 days of intrahospital stay presented an enteroatmospheric fistula that caused a large nutritional deficit. In a surgical intervention, the enteroatmospheric fistula was closed, with the finding of trabecular bone tissue in the abdominal cavity, corresponding to intra-abdominal heterotopic ossification of recent formation. Outcome. After the small intestine anastomosis, he presented signs of intestinal obstruction, because of this, a new exploratory laparotomy was performed, in which bone tissue was found adhered to the mesentery of the small intestine that generated a complete obstruction. The bone material was removed and the intestinal flow was reestablished, freeing the obstruction in the small intestine.