Intestinal Obstruction
A large bowel (intestinal) obstruction is when something blocks your large intestine, preventing gas and stool from moving through it. This blockage can be partial or complete and can lead to a dangerous infection if not treated.
What is Large Bowel (Large Intestine)
The large bowel is part of your digestive system, including the colon and rectum. Its job is to turn liquid waste from the small intestine into solid stool that you pass during a bowel movement.
How Common are Large Bowel Obstructions?
These types of obstructions make up about 20% of all intestinal blockages. Small bowel obstructions are more common.
Causes:
- Large bowel obstructions can happen to people of all ages.
- In infants, birth defects like malrotation can cause twisting of the intestines.
- In young children, intussusception occurs when one part of the intestine collapses inside another, causing a blockage.
- In adults, about half of the cases are due to colorectal (colon) cancer.
- Other causes include abdominal adhesions (scar tissue), diverticulitis, hernias, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), radiation therapy, and rarely, twisted intestines.
Symptoms:
- You might feel sharp stomach pains that come and go, eventually becoming constant.
- Other symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
- In infants and children, they may pull their legs up to their bellies, cry, have a fever, blood in their stool, green or yellow-green vomit, a swollen belly, and appear lethargic.
Diagnosis and Tests:
- Your doctor will do a physical exam to check for a swollen abdomen.
- They may listen to your intestines with a stethoscope.
- Tests may include blood tests to check for infection and dehydration, X-rays, CT scans, and barium enema X-rays to locate and assess the blockage.
Management and Treatment:
Complications:
- A blocked intestine can lead to a lack of blood flow, causing parts of the intestine to die.
- This can result in abdominal infection (peritonitis) and a life-threatening infection called sepsis.
- In some cases, surgery is needed to remove damaged intestine, requiring a colostomy.
Treatment:
- A large bowel obstruction is an emergency and requires hospitalization.
- Partial obstructions may clear up on their own.
- Treatments can include IV fluids to treat dehydration, medications for nausea and pain, a nasogastric tube to suction fluids, barium enema, and surgery to remove blockages or tumors.
Prevention:
Unfortunately, there is no known way to prevent large bowel obstructions.
Outlook / Prognosis:
Most people improve with treatment, but ruptures can be life-threatening.
Contact your healthcare provider if you experience fever, persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, signs of dehydration, or any concerning symptoms.
For more details contact our hospital at Nasik Maharashtra or call 7420004242
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