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Article: The etiology of intestinal obstruction in patients without prior laparotomy or hernia / Discussion
- Article from:
- The American Surgeon
- Article date:
- January 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright The Southeastern Surgical Congress Jan 1998. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Patients with clinical features of intestinal obstruction without a history of prior laparotomy or physical evidence of a hernia can be a diagnostic challenge. We attempted to evaluate our preoperative diagnostic accuracy, to assess the effectiveness of our diagnostic tools, and to determine the incidence of various causes of intestinal obstruction in this select group. Medical records of all patients admitted to our institution and taken to surgery with a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction from 1975 through 1995 were reviewed. Patients with a history of prior laparotomy, evidence of hernia, or emergent indications for surgery on admission were excluded. The most common cause of intestinal ...