Bowel Obstruction

A bowel obstruction is a serious condition that requires specialist attention. Some bowel obstructions improve with conservative treatment using a nasogastric tube, but others may require emergency surgery.

What is a bowel obstruction?

The bowel is the part of the digestive tract that absorbs nutrients from food. A bowel obstruction is a blockage that stops the muscles moving normally, preventing poo and gas to move through your intestines normally. Symptoms include a distended abdomen, fullness, painful spasms, not being able to poo or pass gas, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or bad breath.

Treatment is different for small and large bowel obstructions. Specialist attention to study the CT images and understand an individual’s clinical situation is necessary. We can then provide the correct treatment to relieve the blockage, relieve the pain and restore blood flow to the intestine for the tissues to survive.

Why is bowel obstruction surgery needed?

A bowel obstruction can occur suddenly (acute) or get worse over time (chronic) depending on the underlying cause. For example, cancers of the colon may block or narrow the intestine. Scarring from previous abdominal surgery can also cause bowels to twist or kink and become blocked.

A bowel obstruction can cut off the blood supply to part of the intestine and permanently damage the intestine. If left too long, a bowel obstruction can become life-threatening.

How is a bowel obstruction treated?

Surgeons use tests to diagnose the exact location, extent and type of your bowel obstruction and plan your individual treatment. Depending on the type of bowel obstruction (ie small or large intestine) and the cause of the obstruction, a treatment plan may be commenced.

For patients with adhesional small bowel obstruction as a result of previous abdominal operations, the majority of such cases resolve with conservative management by inserting a nasogastric tube to compress the gut and relieve the obstruction.

In circumstances where conservative management is unsuccessful, or if strangulation of the bowel has occurred due to a tight twist/kink, surgery is required. If managed quickly, laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) can be feasible. When there is a significant bowel obstruction, the approach to surgery by laparoscopy may become challenging. Depending on an individual’s circumstance, a laparotomy may be required.

At laparotomy, under general anaesthetic, your surgeon will make a larger incision in the abdominal cavity to examine the area more clearly and formally identify the cause of the obstruction. Adhesion can be divided to untwist the bowel or if required a bowel resection performed to remove the non-viable bowel. 

Where can I have surgery for bowel obstruction?

Our specialist surgeons perform bowel obstruction surgery for private patients at locations across Brisbane including Sunnybank Private Hospital, Mater Private Hospital Redlands and Mater Private Hospital South Brisbane.

Ask your GP for a referral or speak to your consulting doctors about having your bowel obstruction surgery completed by one of the experienced surgeons at Sunnybank Surgical.