Abstract
Whereas the focus of much of the literature is on early return of postoperative bowel function and methods to minimize early bowel obstruction, late bowel obstruction continues to be a major source of morbidity. In general, postoperative bowel obstruction can be divided into two broad categories: early and late. Early postoperative bowel obstruction is defined as onset of symptoms within 30 days of surgery. The majority of early postoperative bowel obstructions are due to adhesions—up to 90% in some series[1]—with the remaining possible etiologies including ileus, phlegmon, intraabdominal abscess, Crohn’s disease, hernia, volvulus, intussusception, and malignancy.[1,2] Late obstructions are those presenting at any point later than 30 days following surgery.
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