Percutaneous endoscopic colostomy to relieve malignant bowel obstruction

Abstract

Background: Malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal carcinomatosis is a common problem. When surgery is not feasible in the context of a high intraperitoneal tumour burden, other techniques are required. Case report: We report the case of a 67-year-old female with malignant obstruction of the ascending colon. Following an unsuccessful surgical attempt, decompression was successfully achieved via percutaneous endoscopic colostomy using a lumen-apposing metal stent. The patient was able to resume a full oral diet within 2 days. However, local inflammatory complications arose due to faecal contamination of the sutures. Once the sutures were removed, no further interventions were required. Conclusion: Percutaneous endoscopic colostomy is a safe and viable alternative for decompression in malignant bowel obstruction when surgery is not feasible. However, limitations include the risk of local infection due to sutures and its applicability only in cases with distal stenosis.

Keywords

• bowel obstruction
• peritoneal carcinomatosis