Abdominal cocoon: Unusual cause of acute abdomen

Abstract

Abdominal cocoon (AC) is a rare cause of small bowel obstruction. Furthermore, known in the literature as sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis is described mostly in young adolescent girls. The striking feature of AC is a total or partial encasement of the small bowel by a thick, fibrocollagenous membrane. There are no specific clinical features and, therefore, a diagnosis before surgery is very difficult. We report a case of AC presenting with abdominal lump and features of intestinal obstruction in a young lady who had a successful outcome after surgical treatment.