Colonoscopic Evaluation of Patients Treated Conservatively for Intestinal Obstruction: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Acute intestinal obstruction occurs when there is an interruption in the forward flow of intestinal contents. This interruption can occur at any point along the length of the gastrointestinal tract, and clinical symptoms often vary based on the level of obstruction. Objectives: To evaluate the causes of obstruction of patients who were treated conservatively for acute intestinal obstruction. Materials & Method: A cross-sectional observational study. The study was carried out in the Surgery In-patient Department of Comilla Medical College Hospital, Comilla, from 01.07.2013 to 31.12.2013. A total of 246 patients got admitted to the surgery in-patient department and diagnosed as a case of intestinal obstruction. 101 patients of both sex, aged 23-79 responded to initial conservative treatment and were recruited for the study. The remaining 145 patients underwent emergency surgery for intestinal obstruction and were excluded from the study. All data gathered from the data collection sheet was compiled manually. After compilation, these data were shifted to statistical analysis software for further analysis. Results: Out of 246 intestinal obstruction patients, we recorded 101 patients who responded to conservative management. 59 (58.4%) patients were male, and the remaining were female. Peak Incidence (45.5%) was in 51-66 years age group. 54(53.4%) patients presented with large bowel obstruction, the remaining with small bowel obstruction. Most of the patients 68 (67.3%), presented with sub-acute obstruction, followed by acute 28 (27.7%) and chronic 5 (4.9%) obstruction, respectively. 12(11.8%) patients were diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma, 5(4.9%) patients with intestinal TB, and 1(0.9%) patient with diverticulosis. 10(83.3%) of the patients with Colorectal carcinoma were in the elderly age group (>50 years) whereas two patients were below 80 years of age. The cause of obstruction could not be detected in 83 (82.2%) patients by colonoscopy. ..............