Contribution of computed tomography to decision making in the management of adhesive small bowel obstruction

Background In adhesive small bowel obstruction, the early recognition of complications such as strangulation or volvulus is essential to choose between surgical or conservative initial treatment. The objective of this study was to determine prospectively the contribution of computed tomography (CT) to decision making in the management of these patients. Methods Patients with suspected adhesive small bowel obstruction had CT at admission. Patients with CT signs of volvulus or strangulation and/or clinical signs of peritoneal irritation underwent urgent surgery; other patients had conservative initial treatment. Results Fifty‐four patients were evaluated. CT demonstrated signs of strangulation or volvulus in 19 patients, including three with signs of peritoneal irritation. Within this group, urgent laparotomy was performed in 17 patients and confirmed the CT diagnosis in 16. Thirty‐seven patients without clinical or CT signs of complications had initial conservative treatment; among them, seven of 12 with a distal obstruction determined by CT required a delayed operation for persisting obstruction, compared with two of 25 patients with a proximal obstruction ( P <0·01). Conclusion CT is useful for the evaluation of adhesive small bowel obstruction, to detect accurately patients with complications who require urgent operation and to determine the location of the adhesion, which represents a significant prognostic factor for success of conservative treatment. © 1998 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd