Penetrating abdominal wound caused by a close-distance blank cartridge pistol shot: a case report.

Blank cartridge pistols, which are produced for self-defense needs and considered harmless, can be easily purchased by adults due to lack of legal regulations. We present this case because injuries caused by blank cartridge pistol shots may be fatal and are rarely encountered in emergency departments. A 15-year-old boy was brought to the emergency department with a wound on his abdomen caused by a blank cartridge pistol shot. Physical examination revealed an entrance wound, 1 cm in diameter, with a ring-shaped abrasion, 4 cm in diameter, and a surrounding area of contusion, just 2 cm caudal to the left arcus costarum on the anterior axillary line. Muscular defense and rebound tenderness were present in all quadrants of the abdomen. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy. At the time of surgery, a proximal jejunal perforation on the antimesenteric side, approximately 1 cm in diameter, and left-sided hematoma of the greater omentum were identified. A wedge resection of the perforated jejunal loop with end-to-end anastomosis and partial left-sided omentectomy were performed. A mass education on the dangers of these guns and the harm they can cause as well as legal regulations for their restricted use seem to be necessary. Physicians should keep in mind that blank cartridge guns can cause fatal injuries.

Crohn's disease complicated by multiple stenoses and internal fistulas clinically mimicking small bowel endometriosis.

We report a 31-year-old woman with Crohn's disease complicated by multiple stenoses and internal fistulas clinically misdiagnosed as small bowel endometriosis, due to the patient's perimenstrual symptoms of mechanical subileus for 3 years; at first monthly, but later continuous, and gradually increasing in severity. We performed an exploratory laparotomy for small bowel obstruction, and found multiple ileal strictures and internal enteric fistulas. Because intraoperative findings were thought to indicate Crohn's disease, a right hemicolectomy and partial distal ileum resection were performed for obstructive Crohn's ileitis. Histopathology of the resected specimen revealed Crohn's disease without endometrial tissue. The patient made an uneventful recovery from this procedure and was discharged home 10 d post-operatively. The differential diagnosis of Crohn's disease with intestinal endometriosis may be difficult pre-operatively. The two entities share many overlapping clinical, radiological and pathological features. Nevertheless, when it is difficult to identify the cause of intestinal obstruction in a woman of child-bearing age with cyclical symptoms suggestive of small bowel endometriosis, Crohn's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis.