Presentation
Previous rectal perforation due to stercoral ulcer treated 7 days ago with loop ileostomy. Now abdominal distenson and nil ileostomy output ? obstruction
Patient Data
Markedly dilated small bowel up to the loop ileostomy. The afferent portion of the loop ileostomy shows focal narrowing as it passes through the rectus abdominis muscle (arrow), the efferent portion being collapsed as it re-enters the peritoneal cavity
Case Discussion
This is an important case as it is relatively easy to relieve the obstruction by inserting a finger into the stoma and advancing a Foley catheter into the afferent loop. The swelling around the stoma will often settle after a few days and the ileostomy will function normally.