Non-strangulating distal ileal obstruction. II. The role of ingested food and fluids. An experimental study correlating pathoogic and radiologic findings.

Abstract

Following the establishment of complete, non-strangulating small intestinal obstruction, there occurs above the obstruction site a progressive distention, related to increasing accumulations of gas, fluid, and particulate matter in the lumen of the dilated loops. In an earlier study (6) an effort was made to evaluate the rate of development, the extent of the gross dilatation, and the nature of the luminal contents occurring above experimentally produced non-strangulating obstructions in the distal ileum of dogs when the stomach and small intestine were empty of food and ingested fluids. Fifty-six of 60 animals proved to be able, through a combination of their own body fluids, digestive tract secretions, and ingested air, to produce typical mechanical obstructive changes during the six or twenty-four-hour periods of observation following the establishment of the obstruction. Attempts to vary the state of hydration did not appear to influence significantly the pattern of these obstructive changes. With the...