Small bowel obstruction

Small bowel obstruction may develop from a variety of underlying pathologies. In adults, the most common causes include adhesions secondary to abdominal surgery, and hernias. Other causes include malignancy, volvulus, diverticulitis, foreign bodies, intussusception, and inflammatory bowel disease. A small bowel obstruction may be partial or complete, and simple (non-strangulated) or strangulated. Patients typically present with intermittent crampy abdominal pain. The pain may be associated with vomiting (more common with a proximal obstruction), diarrhoea (in the initial stages), and nausea. Patients who present with a fever or tachycardia may have a strangulated bowel obstruction, which is a surgical emergency.