Congenital peritoneal encapsulation of the small intestine: A rare case report

•Be aware of the rare occasion of PE in patients with intestinal obstruction without other etiological factors.•Preoperative diagnosis of PE may be impossible.•Management of PE in case of intestinal obstruction requires urgent surgery.

IntroductionPeritoneal Encapsulation (PE) is a scarce congenital malformation, characterized by a supplementary peritoneal membrane that covers all or a part of the small intestine.Presentation of casePE was unexpectantly discovered in a young woman during laparotomy for bowel obstruction. There were no specific pre-operative indications of this malformation. The operation was uneventful.DiscussionPE is a very rare congenital anatomical anomaly that is difficultly identified pre-operatively. PE is mainly asymptomatic, but in some cases, like in the presented one, PE presents with small bowel obstruction. Surgeons should be aware of this malformation and suspect it when encountering a patient with small bowel obstruction without other etiological factors.ConclusionKnowledge of this peculiar congenital anomaly is pivotal, so that accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of it are direct and efficient.