Intestinal obstruction may be described variously as:
- simple - lumen obstructed, blood supply intact
- strangulated - blood supply occluded
- closed loop - both limbs of loop are obstructed
- partial or complete
It may be further classified according to the
- rate of onset:
- acute e.g. strangulated hernia
- acute-on-chronic e.g. adhesional obstruction
- chronic e.g. Crohn's disease
- site along the bowel:
- very high e.g. pyloric stenosis
- high small bowel e.g. jejunal tumour
- distal small bowel e.g. gallstone ileus
- low colon e.g. rectal carcinoma
- site of pathology in relation to the bowel wall:
- in lumen
- in wall
- outside wall
Large bowel obstruction is principally due to:
- carcinoma } 90% of
- diverticulitis } cases
- volvulus
Small bowel obstruction is mainly due to:
- incarcerated hernia
- adhesions
Reference
- Catena F, De Simone B, Coccolini F, et al; Bowel obstruction: a narrative review for all physicians. World J Emerg Surg. 2019 Apr 29;14:20.