RT Book, Section A1 Go, Kristina L. A1 Jordan, Janeen R. A1 Sarosi, Jr., George A. A1 Behrns, Kevin E. A2 Zinner, Michael J. A2 Ashley, Stanley W. A2 Hines, O. Joe SR Print(0) ID 1160041426 T1 Small Bowel Obstruction T2 Maingot's Abdominal Operations, 13e YR 2019 FD 2019 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071843072 LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1160041426 RD 2024/03/28 AB Bowel obstruction vexed medical practitioners as long ago as 350 BC, and it continues to do so today.1 The management of patients with bowel obstruction is challenging because decision-making is complicated in many patient care scenarios. First, the diagnosis of bowel obstruction may be difficult in a patient who recently underwent surgery. That is, does this lack of gastrointestinal function represent an ileus or a true bowel obstruction? Second, the timing of surgical intervention may not be obvious. When is an operation appropriate in a patient who underwent recent surgery? Finally, what is the appropriate operation in patients who have had multiple, chronic intestinal obstructions? All of these scenarios represent high-risk decisions, and thus management of bowel obstruction requires critical analysis and decision-making. The goal of this review is to provide a contemporary summary of the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of bowel obstruction in a broad context of impaired gastrointestinal function.