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Daniel E. Faircloth, MD; Wendell J. Robison, MD
Naval Regional Medical Center San Diego

JAMA. 1981;246(21):2430.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Intestinal obstruction in the senile geriatric patient presents a major diagnostic challenge to the physician. Carcinoma, sigmoid diverticulitis, and volvulus, in that order, account for about 90% of cases of large-intestine obstruction. It is known that large fruit seeds may obstruct the small bowel, particularly at sites of narrowing. We report a case of large-bowel obstruction by small fruit seeds.

Report of a Case.—

A 66-year-old man with progressive, presenile dementia experienced marked mental deterioration on the day of admission. A physical examination showed an emaciated man who was totally disoriented. His vital signs were blood pressure of 96/62 mm Hg, a pulse rate of 104 beats per minute, and a rectal temperature of 37.7 °C. His neck was rigid. His abdomen was tense but nontympanitic. All of his extremities were rigidly extended with legs scissored and fists clenched. A chest x-ray film was clear of infiltrates. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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