Obstructive Bowel Disease

Obstructive bowel disease occurs in the small intestine or the colon and prevents food or stool from properly moving through the digestive system and out of the body. This condition can result from scar tissue formation called abdominal adhesions. It can also signal cancer and in rare cases results in death.

Symptoms

• Uncomfortable and often painful, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases includes abdominal swelling, constipation, vomiting and abdominal cramping among the primary symptoms for bowel obstructions. Other symptoms include shock or dehydration.

Causes

• Abdominal adhesions--scar tissue that causes different parts of the bowel to adhere to each other or to other organs--may form after abdominal surgery and cause a bowel obstruction. In more rare cases, the National Cancer Institute states that colon, ovarian and stomach cancers and to a lesser extent lung, breast and other cancers may also cause bowel obstructions.

Abdominal Adhesions

• Less invasive surgical treatments such as laparoscopic procedures may help prevent abdominal adhesions and future obstructive bowel conditions. While many adhesions do not interfere with bowel function, adhesions causing bowel obstruction generally require surgery for removal.

Cancer

• In the case of most cancers, physicians conduct physical exams and laboratory tests on urine and stool to diagnose suspected obstructed bowels. Treatment options for the obstructed bowel include surgery or the insertion of a stent--a metal tube used to keep the obstructed bowel open.

Tips

• Hernias, birth defects or some medications can also cause obstructed bowel conditions. A total obstruction can result in death if not treated promptly as a medical emergency.