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Were admitted 166 patients to the Hospital Universitario del Valle with a clinical diagnosis of mechanical bowel obstruction in 1983; 64.5% of patients were male, and only 39% of cases consulted less than 24 hours between the onset of symptoms and admission. The more frequent symptoms and signs were abdominal pain (86%), nausea and vomiting (79%), and abdominal distension (69%). Plain X-ray abdominal films showed signs of intestinal obstruction in 47%, even though 40% of patients had incarcerated inguinal hernias, and films were not taken in the majority of patients.


The etiology for the obstruction was external hernias in 40.4%, postsurgical adhesions in 25.9%, congenital lesions in 14.5%, intussusception in 6.6%, malignancy in 3.6%, and others in 9%. The intestines were normal in 44.6%, intestinal ischemia in 40.4%, and necrosis in 15%. The vast majority of obstructions were located at the ileon. The overall frequency of complications was 21.6%, and mortality was 2.4%. The average hospital stay was 6.3 days.

Gustavo A. Peláez, Docente Adjunto, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Docente Adjunto, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Armando Gonzáles, Profesor Titular, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Profesor Titular, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Edgar Torres, Profesor Asociado, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

Profesor Asociado, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

Edilberto Gómez, Profesor Asistente, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Profesor Asistente, Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

Peláez, G. A., Gonzáles, A., Torres, E., & Gómez, E. (1989). Diagnosis and treatment of mechanical bowel obstruction. Colombia Medica, 20(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.25100/cm.v20i1.6241

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