Bowel obstruction

Recurrent, progressive, colicky abdominal pain, with nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal distension, loud bowel sound. Patient may be acutely ill with fever and lethargy. This disease has an incidence of ~350,000 per year in the US. It is not rare. 

Ingestion of food makes the pain worse, vomiting makes it better for small bowel obstruction. Frequent causes are abdominal adhesion, striction caused by cancer, hernia, Crohn's disease or gallstone or aberrant blood vessels. Abdominal X ray, CT and US would be first line investigation. Surgery consult may be needed.

Small bowel obstruction

Large bowel obstruction

Abdominal pain from ileus or blocked bowel,
​colicky pain

Picture

Gallstone ileus with colicky abdominal pain. Acute onset, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and bloating. A CT scan of the abdominal may confirm the diagnosis.

  1. Bowel Obstruction. David A. Smith; Sara M. Nehring. StatPearls [Internet]. Nov 2018.
  2. A Systematic Review of the Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Small Bowel Obstruction. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017 Jun;19(6):28. 
  3. Uncommon Causes of Acute Abdominal Pain – A Pictorial Essay Mahesh Hariharan, Rajan Balasubramaniam, Sharath Kumar Shetty,1 Shanthala Yadavalli,2Mohammed Ahetasham, and Sravya Devarapalli. J Clin Imaging Sci. 2016; 6: 4.