What Are The Treatment Options for Bowel Obstruction?
Treatment of bowel obstruction depends on:
- Acuteness
- grade
- location
- The underlying cause of the bowel obstruction
Treatment can range from emergency surgery to a simple bowel emptying treatment.
Treatment of The Different Types of Bowel Obstruction
Bowel obstruction occurs when the content within the bowel fails to progress due to various reasons.
These can be classified broadly into:
- Structural in nature
- Functional (aka pseudo-obstruction) in nature.
Acute Structural Bowel Obstructions
Acute structural bowel obstruction may be due to:
- Hernia
- Bowel twisting (volvulus)
- Tumour growth or foreign bodies
These medical conditions usually require hospital care with surgical support to avoid bowel rupture.
Bowel Obstruction Due to Constipation:
Chronic bowel obstruction due to constipation, on the other hand, may be improved with proper bowel cleansing using laxatives and prokinetic agents.
Bowel Obstruction due to Infection, Post-Surgery, Electrolyte Imbalances
For cases of "obstruction" resulting from:
- Infection
- Post-surgery
- Electrolyte imbalances
Appropriate measures to overcome the underlying abnormalities may be helpful.
Tumour-Related Bowel Obstruction
In the event of tumour-related obstruction when surgery is not suitable or readily available, deployment of a metal stent by endoscopist can be a useful option to ensure bowel continuity.
-Dr Quan
