Intestinal obstruction is a condition in which a functional obstruction of the intestine prevents the transfer of the contents of the digestive system, causing paralysis of the intestine.
Intestinal obstruction symptoms
Symptoms of bowel obstruction include
Feeling of discomfort in the abdomen.
severe constipation
sharp pains
Anorexia.
Inability to defecate.
Intestinal obstruction causes and risk factors
Intestinal obstruction causes include
Adhesions, which result from surgical operations.
Incarcerated hernia.
Tumors such as large intestine cancer.
Polyps (POLYPS).
birth defects
Rotation of the intestine on its axis.
foreign objects.
Intestinal obstruction complications
Intestinal obstruction may cause some complications as follows
Intestinal damage
Where there is severe swelling in the intestine so that it is not supplied with an adequate amount of blood, and as a result, a hole occurs in the intestine, which causes the content of the intestine to leak into the abdominal cavity, and this may cause serious inflammation within the abdomen, and peritonitis that may lead to death .
Damage to various body systems
The obstructed intestine swells and large amounts of fluid accumulate in its hollow, causing its walls to swell. It is important to know that the source of these fluids is extracellular fluids, which the body needs to maintain a healthy blood circulation.
Therefore, this problem may cause fluid loss, and the patient may become severely dehydrated, which may develop into hypovolemic shock.
Intestinal obstruction diagnosis
The condition is diagnosed through the following
Knowing the patient''s medical history.
Knowing the symptoms that appear on the patient, such as pain, flatulence, and lack of stool and gas.
Knowing the severity of the pain, as it is more severe in cases of mechanical bowel obstruction.
Knowing the duration of the pain, as the continuation of the pain for a few hours indicates the presence of an external or internal hernia or a twisting of the intestine.
Knowing the diseases that the patient suffers from, such as chronic inflammation in the intestine.
Knowing the medications the patient is taking, as there are medications that affect the function of the large intestine, such as some medications for mental disorders.
Do a physical examination, as this helps the doctor to identify the general condition of the patient.
Simple radiography and abdominal scanning while standing and lying down to diagnose any obstruction in the intestine.
Intestinal obstruction treatment
Treatment is started after an accurate diagnosis of the condition, which can include the following:
Conservative treatment of intestinal obstruction
This treatment includes the following
Replacing body fluids: This is done intravenously or through the use of a small tube, especially, that is passed into the stomach.
Aspiration of digestive secretions: through a small tube, this helps to significantly relieve pressure on the abdominal organs and the intestinal wall.
Surgical treatment of intestinal obstruction
Surgery is resorted to in the event of a confined hernia or obstruction in the large intestine due to the presence of a tumor, and many things are taken into account during surgery as follows:
The surgeon is looking for the site of the blockage. The site of the blockage is often easy to find because the intestine swells a lot before the point of blockage and then collapses.
Surgery includes cutting adhesions, removing a polyp or tumor in the small intestine or repairing a hernia, and sometimes multiple surgeries are needed.
When the blockage occurs in the left part of the large intestine, that is, close to the anus, it is difficult to open the blockage with a single surgical operation, but the surgery must be performed in stages.
Recovery after surgery depends on the patient''s age, medical condition, how long the blockage lasted before surgery, and the type of surgery.
In most cases, the patient returns to his normal life without any obstruction unless a large part of the intestine is removed, and the problem may recur in some cases and may cause some side effects such as gas.
Prevention of intestinal obstruction
In fact, there are no clear ways by which to prevent intestinal obstruction, because it has many causes.
