title: Usefulness of histopathological examination in nontraumatic perforation of small intestine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nontraumatic perforation of small intestine (NTPSI) is a fairly common cause of peritonitis in developing world requiring early surgical intervention. Various etiological factors have been proposed for the cause of small bowel perforation. This retrospective study was conceded with an aim to determine the prevalence patterns of the different etiologies of NTPSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 164 patients were included in the study who had segments of small intestine removed for perforation during emergency procedures. Preoperative definitive diagnoses were not known in these cases. On gross examination, most of the small intestine perforations, n =  110 (67%), were found in the terminal ileum. On microscopy, the most frequent category was that of ulcers of nonspecific etiology, n = 61 (37.2%), which showed general features like inflammatory granulation tissue, serositis, and foreign body giant cell reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In cases where a definite opinion could be established, infection was the commonest cause, n = 71 (43.3%), wherein tuberculosis (49, 29.9%) and typhoid (22, 13.4%) constituted the greatest number of cases. There were two cases of lymphoma and one case of metastatic adenocarcinoma involving the small intestine. Thus, histopathological examination of operated specimen is a useful guide for the surgeon to decide further management of the patient especially in the case of infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University College of Medical Sciences, Shahdara, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Garima
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.forename: Mrinalini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotru
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Sonal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult