Intestinal obstruction is a partial or complete blockage of the bowel that results in the failure of the intestinal contents to pass through.
Alternative NamesParalytic ileus; Intestinal volvulus; Bowel obstruction; Ileus; Pseudo-obstruction - intestinal; Colonic ileus
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsObstruction of the bowel may due to:
Paralytic ileus, also called pseudo-obstruction, is one of the major causes of intestinal obstruction in infants and children. Causes of paralytic ileus may include:
In older children, paralytic ileus may be due to bacterial, viral, or food poisoning (gastroenteritis), which is sometimes associated with secondary peritonitis and appendicitis.
Mechanical causes of intestinal obstruction may include:
While listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope, your health care provider may hear high-pitched bowel sounds at the onset of mechanical obstruction. If the obstruction has persisted for too long or the bowel has been significantly damaged, bowel sounds decrease, eventually becoming silent.
Early paralytic ileus is marked by decreased or absent bowel sounds.
Tests that show obstruction include:
Treatment involves placing a tube through the nose into the stomach or intestine to help relieve abdominal distention and vomiting.
Surgery may be needed to relieve the obstruction if the tube does not relieve the symptoms, or if there are signs of tissue death.
Expectations (prognosis)The outcome varies with the cause of the obstruction.
ComplicationsComplications may include or may lead to:
If the obstruction blocks the blood supply to the intestine, the tissue may die, causing infection and gangrene. Risk factors for tissue death include intestinal cancer, Crohn's disease, hernia, and previous abdominal surgery.
In the newborn, paralytic ileus that is associated with destruction of the bowel wall (necrotizing enterocolitis) is life-threatening and may lead to blood and lung infections.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if persistent abdominal distention develops and you are unable to pass stool or gas, or if other symptoms of intestinal obstruction develop.
PreventionPrevention depends on the cause. Treatment of conditions (such as tumors and hernias) that are related to obstruction may reduce your risk.
Some causes of obstruction cannot be prevented.
ReferencesEvers BM. Small intestine. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 48.
Fry RD, Mahmoud N, Maron DJ, Ross HM, Rombeau J. Colon and rectum. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 50.
Intestinal obstruction is a partial or complete blockage of the bowel that results in the failure of the intestinal contents to pass through.
Alternative NamesParalytic ileus; Intestinal volvulus; Bowel obstruction; Ileus; Pseudo-obstruction - intestinal; Colonic ileus
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsObstruction of the bowel may due to:
Paralytic ileus, also called pseudo-obstruction, is one of the major causes of intestinal obstruction in infants and children. Causes of paralytic ileus may include:
In older children, paralytic ileus may be due to bacterial, viral, or food poisoning (gastroenteritis), which is sometimes associated with secondary peritonitis and appendicitis.
Mechanical causes of intestinal obstruction may include:
While listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope, your health care provider may hear high-pitched bowel sounds at the onset of mechanical obstruction. If the obstruction has persisted for too long or the bowel has been significantly damaged, bowel sounds decrease, eventually becoming silent.
Early paralytic ileus is marked by decreased or absent bowel sounds.
Tests that show obstruction include:
Treatment involves placing a tube through the nose into the stomach or intestine to help relieve abdominal distention and vomiting.
Surgery may be needed to relieve the obstruction if the tube does not relieve the symptoms, or if there are signs of tissue death.
Expectations (prognosis)The outcome varies with the cause of the obstruction.
ComplicationsComplications may include or may lead to:
If the obstruction blocks the blood supply to the intestine, the tissue may die, causing infection and gangrene. Risk factors for tissue death include intestinal cancer, Crohn's disease, hernia, and previous abdominal surgery.
In the newborn, paralytic ileus that is associated with destruction of the bowel wall (necrotizing enterocolitis) is life-threatening and may lead to blood and lung infections.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if persistent abdominal distention develops and you are unable to pass stool or gas, or if other symptoms of intestinal obstruction develop.
PreventionPrevention depends on the cause. Treatment of conditions (such as tumors and hernias) that are related to obstruction may reduce your risk.
Some causes of obstruction cannot be prevented.
ReferencesEvers BM. Small intestine. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 48.
Fry RD, Mahmoud N, Maron DJ, Ross HM, Rombeau J. Colon and rectum. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 50.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 06/29/2010
Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
intestinal obstruction or ileus
Most patients who undergo surgical repair of an intestinal obstruction have an uneventful recovery and do not experience a recurrence of the obstruction.
Intestinal obstruction refers to the partial or complete mechanical or nonmechanical blockage of the small or large intestine.
Approximately 300,000 intestinal obstruction repairs are performed in the United States each year. Among patients who are admitted to the hospital for severe abdominal pain, 20% have an intestinal obstruction. While bowel.
Infants under one year of age are most likely to have intestinal obstruction caused by meconium ileus, volvulus, and intussusception.
Approximately 300,000 intestinal obstruction repairs are performed in the United States each year. Among patients who are admitted to the hospital for severe abdominal pain, 20% have an intestinal obstruction. While bowel.
obstipation
numerous conditions that may lead to an intestinal obstruction. The three most common causes of small bowel obstruction are adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue that form in the abdomen following injury or surgery; hernias
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depend on the degree and location of the obstruction. Partial or off-and-on intestinal obstruction due to adhesions may result in intermittent periods of painful abdominal cramping and other symptoms, including diarrhea
Such nonsurgical techniques as the administration of IV fluids and bowel decompression with a NG tube are often successful in relieving an intestinal obstruction. Patients who present with more severe symptoms that are indicative.
Intestinal obstruction is what you are referring to.