Diaphragm Disease of the Small Bowel

BACKGROUND: Diaphragm-like strictures of the small bowel are an infrequent complication of the treatment of patients with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). STUDY: We report a patient with this condition in whom the use of NSAIDs was ruled out by both clinical history and objective blood testing of current aspirin use. RESULTS: He reported a history of recurrent episodes of colic abdominal pain during the past 25 years; he underwent three surgical operations for this condition. Before these symptoms, he had an undefined abdominal process with diarrhea, weight loss, and diffuse edema, which resolved spontaneously without reaching a diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that diaphragm-like strictures might be developed as a nonspecific response to different damaging insults to the intestine and are not necessarily associated with NSAID use.