Bran-induced small-intestinal obstruction in a patient with no history of abdominal operation

J. B. McClurken and N. Z. Carp
Department of Surgery, Abington (Pa) Memorial Hospital.

An infrequently reported cause of small-bowel obstruction, but one with increasingly important implications in today's diet-conscious society, is bran. This report describes a patient with no history of abdominal operation who developed complete obstruction of the small bowel after the ingestion of two bowls of bran cereal. The obstructing mass of bran was removed by enterotomy and found to be an inspissated, toothpastelike plug. The patient recovered fully.