A 3-year-old boy with severe autism spectrum disorder ingested a significant quantity of sand during a trip to the beach. An initial ingestion was witnessed by caregivers, however, it was reported he had stopped quickly and the overall intake of sand was under-appreciated. Four hours later, he passed stool made entirely of compacted sand (online supplemental material 1). He experienced non-bilious vomiting and colicky abdominal discomfort. His abdomen was soft and non-distended. Ten hours post-ingestion, vomiting episodes became bilious and a supine abdominal radiograph demonstrated dilated small bowel loops and radiopaque material in the distal …
Small bowel obstruction due to sand ingestion
