Pyloric Obstruction by a Phytobezoar Following Pyloroplasty and Vagotomy

Abstract

INTESTINAL obstruction due to food is rarely encountered in a normal person, but this problem is occasionally seen following partial gastrectomy. The most common cause is an accumulation of undigested fruit or vegetable fibers, usually citrus fruit, in the small intestine.¹ I have been unable to find a report of pyloric obstruction following pyloroplasty and vagotomy, and the following case appears to be unique. Report of a Case A 67-year-old former chauffeur (PBBH No. 5-57-87) was admitted to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital on the 15th of January, 1966, in shock with tarry stools. He had been in good health all his life in spite of mild alcoholism and the smoking of four packs of cigarettes a day until two months prior to admission when he developed typical ulcer symptoms. Two days prior to admission he noted loose black stools and faintness and finally collapsed and was brought to