Intestinal obstruction - A retrospective study of 150 cases

Mechanical bowel obstruction presenting acutely is a common surgical emergency and a frequently encountered problem in department of surgery. Intestinal obstruction continues to remain a challenge to surgeons despite advances in field of medicine, pathophysiology, surgical technique and conservative management. This retrospective study in patients operated for acute mechanical bowel obstruction in our department, was intended to highlight the common causes of intestinal obstruction in this geographical location of the study which had suggested measures for prevention and treatment of the condition. 150 patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy for intestinal obstruction were compared in terms of age, sex, symptoms, etiology of intestinal obstruction, site of obstruction, operative procedure performed.