Complication of prolonged intestinal intubation: gaseous distention of the terminal balloon.

A patient with regional enteritis was treated with a Cantor tube for relief of intestinal obstruction. Gaseous distention of the terminal balloon of the tube occurred necessitating removal by laparotomy and enterostomy. This rare complication is reviewed and discussed with special reference to etiology and prevention. The relationship of this complication to prolonged intubation is emphasized.