Abstract

• This study included the clinical anaysis of 214 cases of small intestinal obstruction about its incidence, symptoms & signs, X-ray & laboratory findings, operative procedures, complications, andmortality, which were treated conservatively and/or surgically at the Department of Sugery in Ewha Womans University Hospital during 5 years from Januarym, 1977 to December, 1981. 1) The main causes of small intestinal obstruction were adhession(35%), intussus-ception(30.4%), and hernia(8.9%) 2) 140 cases were male, 74 cases were female, and a ratio of male to female was 1.9:1. 3) The cardinal symptoms and signs were abdominal pain(76.6%), abnormal peristalsis(75.5%), vomiting(68.2%), abdominal distension(65.3%), abdorminal tenderness(59%). 4) The positive findings on simple abdominal X-ray were seen in 91.1%. 5) The common previous operations of the cases of postoperative adhesion were appendectomy in 35.6%, gynecological operations in 16.4%, and a certain operative procedures for biliary system disease in 9.6%. 6) The operative procedures were performed lysis of adhesion in 33.1%, manual reduction in 30.6%, and bowel resection in 21.9%. 7) Wound infection was the most common complication after operation and the overall complication was 13.8%. 8) The over all mortality rate was 3.3%. The common causes of death were se-psis and electrolyte imbalance.