Aim. To determine the capabilities of complex preoperative examination of patients with acute adhesive small-bowel obstruction for the choice of the method of surgical treatment. Methods. The diagnostic significance was studied for clinical and radiological methods in assessment of the prevalence of adhesive process in the abdominal cavity in 354 patients with acute adhesive small-bowel obstruction. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) a comparison group of 204 subjects examined by the standard protocol without the use of computed tomography and ultrasound without mapping of adhesions operated by an open procedure, and (2) the study group of 150 patients who underwent the modified diagnostic algorithm and laparoscopic adhesiolysis. To clearly understand the spread of adhesive process, on ultrasound examination the anterior abdominal wall was divided into four sectors. The severity of pathological process was assessed by enteral index and intra-abdominal pressure reflecting the degree of morphofunctional disorders. Results. The highest sensitivity (92%) among diagnostic methods was observed for X-ray contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The objective severity criteria for the patients with acute adhesive small-bowel obstruction are enteral index, intra-abdominal pressure, signs of diffuse peritonitis. The developed complex diagnostic program, presented in the form of an algorithm, was of decisive importance for the choice of the method of surgical intervention (laparotomy or laparoscopy). Conclusion. The optimal treatment option for patients with acute adhesive small-bowel obstruction is laparoscopic adhesiolysis, which should be regulated by the severity of the patient's condition and spread of the adhesion process; to determine the spread of adhesive process, a complex diagnostic program should be used, in which radiological methods take the lead.
Internal Hernia: Computed Tomography Diagnosis and Differentiation from Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction