Clinical Medicine Insights: Case Reports (Feb 2022)

Intestinal Perforation Due to Adult Tapeworm of : A Case Report and Review of the Literature

  • Raju Bhandari,
  • Rajan Chamlagain,
  • Edward Sutanto,
  • Hammad Adam,
  • Anil Dhungana,
  • Aishnath Azna Ali,
  • Bimochan Piya,
  • Abdulla Ubaid,
  • Andreas Neumayr

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/11795476211072670
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15

Abstract

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Taeniasis is an intestinal helminth infection due to adult tapeworms belonging to the genus Taenia. Taeniasis remains a major burden in low-income countries in Asia. We present a case of intestinal perforation caused by adult tapeworm of Taenia in a 50-year-old Nepali male. The patients presented to the hospital with severe abdominal pain and intermittent vomiting. Following clinical presentations and imaging features, gastrointestinal perforation was suspected. Surgical removal of adult tapeworm of Taenia, suspected to be T. saginata or T. asiatica, was carried out during exploratory laparotomy, which was followed by an uneventful postoperative period. In addition to case presentation, we systematically review published case reports on taeniasis-related intestinal perforation. A learning point from this case is clinician should maintain a clinical suspicion of taeniasis as a possible cause of intestinal perforation in endemic areas.