Gastrointestinal bezoar: Clinical study of 15 years experience from a medical center in eastern Taiwan

Objective: In order to investigate the clinical manifestation of gastrointestinal bezoar and intestinal obstruction, we performed this retrospective clinical study. Patients and Methods: Patients who had received surgical treatment with a diagnosis of gastrointestinal bezoar obstruction from August, 1988 to May, 2004 were included in our study. The age, gender, symptoms and signs, abdominal imaging study, surgical procedure, size and number of bezoars, location of obstruction, and complications were recorded. Results: A total of six patients were included in our study. There were 5 men and one woman. Their mean age was 73 years. The symptoms and signs included abdominal pain (100%), vomiting (83.3%), abdominal fullness (66.7%), leukocytosis (100%), and small bowel dilatation on radiograph of the abdomen (100%). The majority of patients had bezoars located in the lower ileum. The mean size of the bezoars was 4.4 cm (range 3-8 cm). No patient died within one month of surgery. Conclusions: Male patients were predominant among those with gastrointestinal bezoar obstruction. Abdominal pain, vomiting, small bowel dilatation, and leukocytosis were the most frequent presenting symptoms and signs. The lower ileum was the most frequent location of the obstruction.