Small Bowel Obstruction Secondary to Wild Banana Seed Ingestion

A previously healthy 13-year-old boy from a rural village in northern Laos presented with progressive abdominal pain, constipation, emesis, and marked abdominal distention. Radiographs showed a small bowel obstruction which did not resolve with conservative management. At laparotomy, a bezoar was identified as the cause of his bowel obstruction. Resection of the mass identified a phytobezoar of banana seeds. The patient tolerated surgery well and had an unremarkable postoperative course.