Treating a Twisting Bowel Obstruction
Topic Overview
Doctors have several options for treating a
bowel obstruction caused by twisting of the intestine.
The choice of procedure depends on the location of the obstruction.
If the obstruction is caused by a twisting of the
sigmoid area of the large intestine, a doctor may try
to straighten out the twisting segment with lighted instruments (such as a
proctoscope or sigmoidoscope). But surgery is sometimes needed to fix twisting
of the intestine. Twisting of the sigmoid colon recurs in 25 to 50 out of 100 cases
after non-surgical treatments.1
Treatment
is less defined for an obstruction caused by twisting of the
cecum of the large intestine. Doctors may try several
treatments. The blocked section can be removed and the ends reattached. In
another type of surgery, the cecum can be attached to the abdominal (belly) wall so
that it won't twist (cecopexy). A third option is to place a tube into the
cecum (cecostomy) through a small incision in the abdomen. This procedure often
is done for people who are not strong enough to have the other surgeries.
References
Citations
- Turnage RH, Heldmann M (2010). Intestinal obstruction. In M Feldman et al., eds., Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th ed., vol. 2, pp. 2105–2120. Philadelphia: Saunders.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology |
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| Last Revised | July 5, 2011 |
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Last Revised:
July 5, 2011
Turnage RH, Heldmann M (2010). Intestinal obstruction. In M Feldman et al., eds., Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th ed., vol. 2, pp. 2105–2120. Philadelphia: Saunders.
