Duration of the entire healing process

The duration of the entire healing process is highly dependent on whether the bowel obstruction is mechanical or paralytic and how it is caused. A mechanical bowel obstruction is in most cases treated surgically and is associated with a long inpatient hospital stay. A paralytic ileus must not be operated on, but must be treated conservatively with medication, enemas and massages. Accordingly, the hospital stay is shorter. Depending on how severe the intestinal obstruction was and whether complications occurred, the healing process can take weeks to months.

What are the risks of the surgery?

The method of treatment depends on the type of intestinal obstruction. Only a mechanical intestinal obstruction is operated on, whereas a paralytic ileus must not be treated surgically. The treatment of a paralytic ileus lies in the elimination of the cause and conservative therapy.

In principle, a mechanical ileus is treated surgically. The earliest possible surgical intervention reduces the risk of serious complications, such as intestinal perforation or bacterial inflammation of the peritoneum (perotinitis). Only in a few cases is immediate surgery for an ileus postponed, for example if the patient’s general condition is so poor that the risk of surgery would be too high. In such cases, an attempt is first made to stabilize the patient with electrolyte infusions and other circulation-supporting measures to such an extent that surgery is possible. All important information can also be found here: Treatment of an intestinal obstruction

How much intestine may/must be removed

The decision whether and if so, how much bowel has to be removed in an ileus operation depends on the cause of the bowel obstruction. If it is a simple mechanical intestinal obstruction with a benign cause, e.g. an incarceration due to an inguinal hernia or an intestinal obstruction, the affected section can simply be moved back into the normal position and surgical removal of a section of the intestine (resection) is not necessary. The case is different if a tumor has grown into the intestinal mucosa and is causing the obstruction.

In this case, the entire section of the intestine affected by the tumor must be completely removed. The same applies to a very thickened and scarred intestinal wall, which often forms after chronic inflammation. In some cases, the blood supply can no longer be maintained due to the mechanical clamping and parts of the undersupplied intestine die. In such cases, the dead tissue must be completely removed.