Unusual Triggers of Acute Intestinal Obstruction in Surgical Emergencies: A Series of Five Cases

Abstract

Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency that can be caused by mechanical causes or by different pathological processes. The most common cause of small bowel intestinal obstruction is post-operative adhesion, and the most common cause of large bowel obstruction is malignancy. These are classified into dynamic and adynamic types. The patient was selected based on the presentation management plan. Some cases require immediate operative intervention; however, some cases, as mentioned in this case series, require further investigation and a different approach. In this study, we report the rare causes of intestinal obstruction presented to Safdarjung Hospital, Department of General Surgery, New Delhi: one case of foreign body impaction, one case of spontaneous migration of feeding jejunostomy, one case of extrauterine IUCD causing intestinal obstruction, one case of mesentery band causing obstruction, and one case of abdominopelvic mass causing small bowel obstruction. These cases presented to the surgical emergency department with challenges in their diagnosis, intraoperative findings, and their outcomes.