Relief of small bowel obstruction following colonoscopy in a case of gallstone ileus

We describe a patient who presented with mechanical obstruction of the small bowel secondary to impaction of the ileocecal valve from a gallstone. The stone impaction of the ileocecal valve was confirmed by colonoscopy. Although the stone was disimpactcd, it could not be trapped and extracted during colonoscopy. Thereafter, the patient's small bowel obstruction was relieved with no further intervention. Even though surgery is the gold standard for the management of gallstone ileus, colonoscopy can be useful in management of patients with gallstone ileus in whom surgery is contraindicated. A review of the literature is also presented.