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Predictive value of signs and symptoms for small bowel obstruction in patients with prior surgery
  1. Timothy B Jang1,2,
  2. Danielle Schindler1,
  3. Amy H Kaji2
  1. 1David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Olive View Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sylmar, California, USA
  2. 2David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Torrance, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Timothy B Jang, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1000 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA 90509, USA; tbj{at}ucla.edu

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of various signs and symptoms for small bowel obstruction (SBO) in patients with prior abdominal surgery.

Methods This was a secondary analysis of a previously reported prospective study of ultrasonography for SBO. Patients with prior abdominal surgery were identified and presenting signs and symptoms were compared to the CT diagnosis of SBO.

Results No signs or symptoms were predictive of SBO.

Conclusion No constellation of signs and symptoms can be used to reliably exclude a SBO in patients with prior abdominal surgery.

  • Abdomen-non trauma
  • cardiac care
  • diagnosis
  • clinical assessment

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/emj.2010.100594

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.

    • Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center ERI.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.