Intestinal obstruction

Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency. In the developed world approximately 20% of patients with acute abdominal pain admitted to surgical units have intestinal obstruction and 80% of these will have small bowel obstruction. In the western world, adhesional obstruction is by far the most common cause of small bowel obstruction, reflecting the increasing number of abdominal surgical procedures being performed. Malignancy is the leading cause of obstruction of the large intestine. The cardinal clinical features are vomiting, abdominal pain, distension and gross constipation which differ in predominance depending on the site of the obstruction. Management of bowel obstruction requires prompt identification, meticulous attention to fluid and electrolyte balance and timely surgical intervention.