Acta Chir Belg
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An uncommon case of pneumoperitoneum without peritonitis, related to small bowel diverticulosis is presented. Pneumoperitoneum is usually a life-threatening incident, most frequently attributed to a perforated viscus and generally requiring emergency surgery. Non surgical pneumoperitoneum, however, is known to be caused by a variety of pathological and non pathological entities. ⋯ In the presence of mechanical bowel obstruction, the latter kind of pneumoperitoneum can suddenly become impressively increased. A conservative attitude is generally advocated in the presence of such a benign pneumoperitoneum. However, laparoscopic exploration may be helpful for the diagnosis.