Banana in a Condom: An Unusual Cause of Small Bowel Obstruction

Cureus. 2023 Jan 23;15(1):e34089. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34089. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Abstract

An otherwise healthy, 34-year-old man presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, which began a day after he ingested a banana-stuffed condom. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) abdomen and pelvis revealed a dilated small bowel with a transition point, findings consistent with small bowel obstruction. Abdominopelvic ascites was also noted on imaging, which was concerning for bowel distress. He was taken to the operating room for an exploratory laparotomy, which revealed a high-grade obstruction by a foreign body, a banana stuffed in a condom, in the mid-jejunum. An enterotomy was performed to relieve the obstruction. The postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged three days later.

Keywords: condom ileus; foreign body ingestion in adults; ingested large foreign body; small-bowel obstruction; swallowed foreign body.

Publication types

  • Case Reports