Diagnostic dilemma: Doctors performed surgery to remove a mass in a woman's gut — and a bug-like creature immediately jumped out

In a bizarre case in Bologna, Italy, an 82-year-old woman experienced severe abdominal pain, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. An examination revealed her abdomen was distended with tender intestines, and an X-ray showed a blockage in her intestines. A CT scan confirmed a solid object obstructing her intestinal loops on the right side, a condition known as a small bowel obstruction (SBO).

SBOs can be caused by tumors, twisted intestines, foreign bodies, or bezoars - solid clumps of undigested matter. This case was unique because doctors discovered the blockage was a phytobezoar, a bezoar composed of plant material. However, the most astonishing discovery was when surgeons removed the bezoar and found a live arthropod, not an insect as initially believed, but a terrestrial isopod - an organism related to crabs and shrimp.

The doctors hypothesized the woman may have accidentally swallowed the isopod while eating unwashed vegetables or fruit. She recovered from the surgery and lived another 18 months, now residing in a retirement home. While terrestrial isopods are found globally, none are known to parasitize humans.