Abstract
This is a case report of a 23-year-old male who presented to a hospital in Aleppo with a few months’ history
of abdominal pain and diarrhea associated with progressive weight loss and ultimate cachexia. Patient’s
history is significant for a trauma laparotomy due to a blast injury with management of a colonic and
orthopedic injuries. Three months later he underwent a second laparotomy for reversal of the stoma after
which his symptoms started and gradually became worse. The abdominal pain attacks were so severe
unresponsive to analgesics and he had lost around 30 kg. He underwent CT scan on presentation which
showed small bowel obstruction and was taken down to the operating room (OR) for exploration. In the
operating room a hard mass was palpated in the small bowel and a small enterotomy was done overlying
the mass with retrieval of a large surgical pad, gossypiboma, from the lumen. The enterotomy was closed
primarily and the patient did well postoperatively and was discharged home.