Taenia saginata as a Cause of Bowel Obstruction

A 17-year-old adolescent boy presented to the emergency department with the chief complaints of dull-aching abdominal pain and constipation for 5 days. He reported frequent consumption of beef, and he denied fever and palpitations. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate were within normal limits. On clinical examination, his abdomen was non-tender and non-distended, with no evident palpable mass lesion. A complete blood work-up and chest radiograph were normal. Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed dilated large bowel loops and an elongated, linear, hypoechoic tubular structure with well-defined echogenic walls in the transverse colon, which was actively moving (Figure 1). The preliminary diagnosis of bowel obstruction due to Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) was made.