Intestinal obstruction

Alternative names:

bowel obstruction; ileus; intestinal volvulus; paralytic ileus

Symptoms:

• abdominal fullness, gaseous
• abdominal distention
• abdominal pain and cramping
• vomiting
  • vomiting blood

• failure to pass gas or stool (constipation)
• diarrhea
• breath odor
• abdominal sounds (borborygmus, a gurgling or splashing sound heard over the intestine)

Signs and tests:

Listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope may show high-pitch bowel sounds at the onset of mechanical obstruction. If the obstruction persists to long or the bowel is significantly damaged the bowel sounds decrease until they become silent. Paralytic ileus has decreased or absent bowel sound initially.

Tests that show obstruction include:

• barium enema
• upper GI and small bowel series
• abdominal film

Other tests may include:

• serum electrolytes
• CBC
• serum sodium
• sigmoidoscopy
• enteroclysis
• amylase, urine
• amylase (serum)
• abdominal CT scan