Health Encyclopedia

Intestinal obstruction repair

Definition

Intestinal obstruction repair is surgery to relieve a bowel obstruction. A complete obstruction, no matter what the cause, is a surgical emergency.

Alternative Names

Repair of volvulus; Reduction of intussusception

Description

When a blockage occurs in the bowel (intestine), stool is unable to move through. Gas is trapped within the bowel, causing swelling and abdominal distention. The obstruction also interrupts normal blood flow, which can cause portions of the bowel to die. When parts of the bowel die, fluids and bacteria from the bowel can leak into the abdominal area, causing a life-threatening infection called peritonitis.

Causes of intestinal obstruction include:

Scar tissue (adhesions)
Incarcerated hernias
Tumors or cysts
Intussusception
Twisting or kinking of the bowel (volvulus)
Swallowed objects (foreign bodies)

Intestinal obstruction repair is done while you are under general anesthesia, which means you are asleep and do not feel the pain of surgery. The surgeon makes a small cut in the belly area. The bowel obstruction is located and repaired. If possible, injured sections are removed and the healthy ends of the bowel are stitched together (resection). If resection is not possible, the ends are brought out through an opening in the abdomen (ostomy).

The surgeon will also examine the bowel for injury or lack of blood flow.

Indications

Surgery is frequently needed to treat a bowel obstruction, but the type of operation depends on the cause of the obstruction (for example, adhesions, tumor, or a hernia).

Risks

Risks for any anesthesia include the following:

Reactions to medications
Problems breathing

Risks for any surgery include the following:

Bleeding
Infection

Other risks of abdominal surgery include the following:

Bowel leaks
Formation of scar tissue (adhesions)
Bowel obstruction after surgery
Temporary paralysis of the bowel (paralytic ileus)

Expectations after surgery

The outcome is usually good if the obstruction is treated before tissue damage or tissue death occurs in the bowel.

Convalescence

The time it takes to recover from bowel obstruction surgery depends on the specific operation needed to correct the obstruction and the person's general health.

Review Date:10/16/2006
Reviewed By:J.A. Lee, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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