RESUMEN
Intestinal obstruction [I.O] is one of the most common surgical emergencies worldwide and accounts for a large percentage of surgical admission of acute abdominal pain. Aims: To determine the incidence, aetiology, management and the changing pattern of I.O in Benghazi Teaching Hospitals [7th October and Al-Jala], which cover all the surgical adult emergencies in Benghazi areas. A retrospective study which included all patients admitted to Benghazi hospitals in the period between January 2001 to December 2003 with the diagnosis of I.O. 202 patients with 245 episodes of obstruction were found. Male preponderance was observed in all age groups. Postlaparotomy adhesions were the most common cause of I.O [42%], followed by faecal impaction [15%], entrapment of bowel in external hernias[12%]. one third of patients with adhesions followed appendectomy. Although biliary disease is the most common surgical disease in Libya, there was no single case of stone ileus. Mortality rate was 2%. In Benghazi during the last decade, the most common cause of I.O was due to of postlaparatomy adhesions, while external hernias was the third common cause of obstruction. This may reflect improvement of health care services and increasing rate of elective surgical procedures of hernias. Infection and the level of skills of the surgeon may be factors leading to the high rate of postlaparotomy adhesions