Uncommon Causes of Small Bowel Obstruction

BACKGROUND: The major causes of small bowel obstruction (SBO) are postoperative adhesion, hernia, intussusception and malignancies. However, in cases of uncommon causes of SBO, surgeons are be in a dilemma because the preoperative diagnosis and the decision to operate are frequently difficult and delayed. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the cases of 29 patients with SBO who were operated on for unknown etiology at Daedong Hospital between Jan. 1, 1991, and Dec. 31, 1997. The common causes of SBO, such as postoperative adhesion, external hernia, congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract in neonate, intussusception in children, and known intraabdominal malignancy, were all excluded. RESULTS: 1) The incidence of uncommon causes of SBO included in this study was 8.7% of all cases of SBO operated on during the same period. 2) Among the 29 cases, 12 cases were caused by tumors (41.4%), of which the number of malignant tumors was double that of benign ones. 3) Besides tumors, there were 3 cases of bezoar, two cases of congenital bands, mesenteric cysts, internal hernias, Meckel's diverticula, and intussusception, one case each of mesenteric panniculitis and Crohn's disease, and two cases with an unknown etiology of inflammation. 4) Five cases were due to adult intussusception, 3 cases of which were due to benign tumors of the small bowel. All of the SBOs by intussusception were located at the terminal ileum. 5) The most common site of obstruction was the ileum (20 cases), followed by the jejunum (7 cases), and the duodenum (2 cases). 6) Males were dominant (1.6:1) especially in cases of tumor-origin SBOs (2:1). 7) In viewing the age distribution, the incidence was relatively high in the 5th and the 8th decades. Especially, tumor-origin SBOs had their peak in the 5th decade, and all cases of bezoar were found in 8th decade. 8) Operations were performed within 72 hours in 19 cases (65.5%) after first inspection of the patients, and intussusception, congenital band, and bezoar were the common causes of the cases involved in early surgical intervention. 9) Segmental resection of the small bowel was the most common surgical procedure (19 cases, 65.5%), followed by bypass surgery (6 cases), removal of the bezoar (2 cases), and excision of the mesenteric cyst or band (1 case, respectively). Coclusions: We think it reasonable to perform an exploratory laparotomy in cases of unknown causes of SBO as early as possible because almost all the cases require surgical intervention eventually, and studies searching for the causes of obstruction will only be time-consuming. While surgeons should keep in mind that tumors are major causes of uncommon SBOs.

Clinical Evaluation of Incisional Hernia

An incisional hernia is still one of the common complications of abdominal surgical procedures and is a significant source of morbidity. The exact incidence of incisional hernias has not been well defined, although a number of reports in the literature suggest that it is between 2% and 11%. Repair of incisional hernias is a common procedure from the surgeon's viewpoint. The authors evaluated the clinical data of 34 patients with incisional hernias at the Department of Surgery, Daedong Hospital, Busan, between January 1990 and December 1996. Incisional hernias were more common in females(9 men and 25 women), and the range of ages was 29 to 79. The incidence was highest in lower midline incisions. Some factors supposed to be associated with the development of incisional hernias were a lower midline incision, increased abdominal pressure, wound infection, reincision, and previous incisional hernia. Severe vomiting, abdominal distension, severe coughing, obesity, and pregnancy contributed to the increased abdominal pressure. An appendectomy was the most common preceding operation for the occurrence of an incisional hernia, although the incidence of appendectomies at the author's hospital was the highest of all other operations. The most frequent symptom or sign of the patients was mass or bulging at the previous operation site. Herniation occurred in 18 patients (52.9%) within 1 year after the preceding operation and herniorrhaphies were performed in 14 cases (41.2%) within 1 year after herniation. The size of hernia in 32 patients (94.1%) was less than 10 cm in diameter, and mesh was used in four patients (11.8%). The method of repair was determined by the size of the defect and by the tension around the defect. Postoperative follow up was made by telephone in 20 of the 34 patients. Among them, the authors were notified of two recurrent incisional hernias: One developed after an operation for mechanical obstruction due to an appendectomy. The other recurred at the lower midline incision for an operation due to rupture of the small bowel and was accompanied by wound infection.