title: Unusual causes of acute intestinal obstruction in adults.
abstract: This paper refers to 50 unusual cases of 542 consecutive adult patients who underwent surgery because of acute intestinal obstruction. Of the 38 small bowel cases, 5 were caused by hernias in anomalous recesses (1 prevesical, 2 left paraduodenal, and 2 paracecal hernias), 6 by a gallstone ileus, 14 to the presence of a bezoar or foreign body, 8 to extended postradiation perivisceritis, 3 to Meckel diverticulum volvulus, 1 to transepiploic hernia, and 1 to ileus-Meckel hematoma during anticoagulation treatment. The 12 large bowel cases included 3 diaphragmatic hernias (1 late post-trauma), 3 cases of colo-colic intussusception, 1 case of obstructive cholecystitis, and 5 cases of Ogilvie's syndrome. Major technical problems have to be immediately solved in the case of left paraduodenal, prevesical, or diaphragmatic hernias; however, during laparotomy, there may also be some difficult and unpredictable problems caused by widespread postradiation perivisceritis.
authors.affiliation: General Surgery I, Ospedale di Rho, A.O. "G. Salvini", Garbagnate, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amboldi
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mezzabotta
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanotti
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amboldi
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morandi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003112:Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications; D042882:Gallstones / Q000150:complications; D006547:Hernia / Q000150:complications; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult