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Gallstone ileus is a rare yet significant cause of mechanical bowel obstruction, particularly in elderly patients. This condition arises when gallstones migrate into the gastrointestinal tract through a cholecystoenteric fistula, often due to chronic inflammation. Despite medical advancements, gallstone ileus remains associated with high morbidity and mortality rates due to delayed diagnosis and nonspecific symptoms. The clinical presentation typically includes intermittent nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and constipation, which can obscure the diagnosis. Advanced imaging techniques, especially computed tomography (CT), are crucial for identifying key diagnostic features such as pneumobilia, ectopic gallstones, and signs of bowel obstruction. Gallstone ileus should be considered in any case of small bowel obstruction, even if CT imaging is inconclusive, as gallstones can be radiolucent. Indirect clues like pneumobilia and dilated small bowel loops can lead to the diagnosis. Effective management of gallstone ileus requires prompt surgical intervention to remove the obstructing gallstone and restore bowel patency. The primary surgical procedure is enterolithotomy, although additional procedures such as cholecystectomy and fistula repair may be necessary depending on the patient's condition and intraoperative findings. The choice of surgical approach should be individualized, considering the patient's overall health and the specific characteristics of the obstruction. Early recognition and timely surgical management are essential to prevent complications and improve patient outcomes.

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PURPOSE: Mechanical bowel obstruction (MBO) is one of the most common indications for emergency surgery. Recent research justifies the method of attempting 3-5 days of nonoperative treatment before surgery. However, little is known about specific characteristics of geriatric patients undergoing surgery compared to a younger cohort. We aimed to analyze patients with MBO that required surgery, depending on their age, to identify potential targets for use in the reduction in complications and mortality in the elderly. METHODS: Thirty-day and in-hospital mortality were determined as primary outcome. We retrospectively identified all patients who underwent surgery for MBO at the University Hospital of Bonn between 2009 and 2019 and divided them into non-geriatric (40-74 years, n = 224) and geriatric (≥ 75 years, n = 88) patients, using the chi-squared-test and Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analysis. RESULTS: We found that geriatric patients had higher 30-day and in-hospital mortality rates than non-geriatric patients. As secondary outcome, we found that they experienced a longer length of stay (LOS) and higher complication rates than non-geriatric patients. Geriatric patients who suffered from large bowel obstruction (LBO) had a higher rate of bowel resection, stoma creation, and a higher 30-day mortality rate. The time from admission to surgery was not shown to be crucial for the outcome of (geriatric) patients. CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients suffering from mechanical bowel obstruction that had to undergo surgery had higher mortality and morbidity than non-geriatric patients. Especially in regard to geriatric patients, clinicians should treat patients in a risk-adapted rather than time-adapted manner, and conditions should be optimized before surgery.

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BACKGROUND: Mechanical bowel obstruction (MBO) is one of the principal pathologies requiring emergency surgery and a significant worldwide cause of morbidity. The identification of patients in whom bowel obstruction resolves spontaneously is important in terms of preventing unnecessary surgical interventions and future potential adhesions. The decision-making process is difficult in patients presenting without classic examination findings. METHODS: 36 female Sprague-Dawley rats randomly divided into six experimental groups. In Group 1, 3 and 5, laparotomy was performed, with blood and tissue specimens being collected after 1, 2 and 6 h, respectively. In Group 2, 4 and 6, the ileum segment was ligated following laparotomy, and blood and tissue specimens were collected after 1, 2 and 6 h, respectively. The ileum specimens were examined macroscopically, after which 1-cm sections were taken and examined in terms of histopathological changes. IMA and SCUBE-1 levels were determined for each group, and macro- and microscopic tissue examination findings were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Comparison within the groups exposed to waiting times of 1 h (groups 1 and 2), 2 h (groups 3 and 4) and 6 h (groups 5 and 6) revealed higher mean IMA and SCUBE-1 levels in rats undergoing ligation together with incision (groups 2, 4, and 6) compared to those undergoing laparotomy only (groups 1, 3, and 5). Correlation analysis was applied to determine the relationship between total scores obtained from histopathological examination and IMA and SCUBE-1 values. The analysis revealed strong, significant and positive correlation between histopathological examination scores and IMA (r=0.643, p=0.000) and SCUBE-1 (r=0.509, p=0.002) values. CONCLUSION: The study findings showed that both IMA and SCUBE-1 values increased in a strangulated MBO model in rats. We think that IMA and SCUBE-1 values can be used as a markers of damage in the early period in strangulated MBO, and that the patient's surgery requirement can thus be determined in the early period.

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INTRODUCTION: Sclerosing peritonitis or abdominal cocoon syndrome is characterized by small bowel loops completely encapsulated by a fibrocollagenous membrane in the center of the abdomen. Although cocooning of the abdomen is mostly seen in patients on peritoneal dialysis, it can occur de novo; it very rarely manifests as complete mechanical bowel obstruction. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old Asian man presented with complete mechanical bowel obstruction. He had previous attacks of partial bowel obstruction during the past 6 to 8 months, which was misdiagnosed as abdominal tuberculosis because tuberculosis is very prevalent in the region in which he lives. He took anti-tuberculosis therapy for 3 months but this did not result in resolution of his symptoms. This time he had diagnostic laparoscopy followed by laparotomy in which a fibrocollagenous membrane, resulting in entrapment of his bowel, was excised and his entire small bowel was freed. Postoperatively he again had a mild episode of partial bowel obstruction but this was relieved with a short course of steroids. DISCUSSION: Sclerosing peritonitis is a rare benign etiology of complete mechanical bowel obstruction. Patients might have suffered recurrent attacks of partial bowel obstruction in the past that were falsely managed on lines of other conditions such as tuberculosis, especially in endemic areas like Pakistan or India. CONCLUSION: Sclerosing peritonitis is a rare benign diagnosis which can manifest as complete bowel obstruction and a high index of suspicion is required to diagnose it. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen is a useful radiological tool to aid in preoperative diagnosis. Diagnostic laparoscopy is usually confirmatory. Peritoneal sac excision and adhesiolysis is the treatment and a short course of steroids in relapsing symptoms.

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PURPOSE: Mechanical bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common emergency problem resulting in high morbidity and mortality. The delta neutrophil index (DNI), reflecting the fraction of circulating immature granulocytes, is associated with increased mortality in patients with infection and/or systemic inflammation. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between DNI and 30-day mortality in patients with MBO. METHODS: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients (>18 years old) with MBO admitted to the emergency department from January 1, 2013 to April 30, 2015. The diagnosis of MBO was confirmed using clinical and radiological findings. The DNI was determined on each day of hospitalization. The outcome of interest was the 30-day mortality and the prognostic value of DNI for 30-day mortality was ascertained by Cox proportional hazards model analysis. RESULTS: A total of 518 patients with MBO were included in this study. According to multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, higher DNI at admission (hazard ratio [HR], 1.080; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.036-1.126; p1.9% on admission (HR, 9.410; 95% CI, 2.671-33.145; p<0.001) was associated with increased 30-day mortality. Furthermore, the accuracy of DNI for predicting 30-day mortality was superior to that of other parameters. CONCLUSION: The DNI can be measured rapidly and simply on emergency department admission without additional cost or time burden. Increased DNI values are associated with 30-day mortality in patients with MBO.

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