Nonsurgical treatment of postoperative intestinal obstruction caused by heterotopic ossification of the mesentery: A case report

Figure 1 Abdominal computed tomography revealed intestinal obstruction of the patient after abdominal surgery. A: The yellow arrow indicated the patient's intestinal obstruction at the right renal hilus level; B: The blue arrow indicated the patient’s intestinal obstruction at the umbilical level.

Figure 2 Intraoperative observations may reveal the presence of abdominal adhesions and mesenteric nodules. A: The yellow arrow indicated a tight adhesion between the mesentery and the small intestine; B: Blue arrow indicated multiple hard nodules in the mesentery.

Figure 3 Pathological findings of surgical specimens. A and B: Representative hematoxylin and eosin images of mesenteric nodules. Hematoxylin and eosin images showed heterotopic ossification and new bone formation. Black color scale bars: 200μm. The immunohistochemical staining results were as follows: CD68 (+), smooth muscle actin (+), CD34 (+), β-catenin (cytoplasmic+), Ki-67 (+20%), and deamin (-).

Figure 4 Abdominal computed tomography showed a significant alleviation of intestinal obstruction following methylprednisolone treatment. A: After 1 week of methylprednisolone treatment, there was a marked reduction in the intestinal obstruction; B: 8 months after methylprednisolone treatment.