Etiology, Clinical Manifestations, and Imaging Evaluation of Intestinal Obstruction in Adults at Tertiary Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Background: Intestinal obstruction is a potential surgical emergency condition with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The most prevalent causes of intestinal obstruction in adults are adhesions, which are followed by incarcerated hernias and tumors. Methods: A three-year retrospective data study of adult patients treated with IO at the Mogadishu Somalia Turkey training and research hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2022. Results: A majority (67%) of our study were male showing the male predominance of the disease with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. The patients demonstrated a variety of signs and symptoms, but the most prominent manifestations were nausea and vomiting (93.2%), abdominal distension (90.2%), and failure to feces /flatus (70.8%). The majority of the patient 98(95.1%) with intestinal obstruction was treated under operative management, whereas conservative management (i.e., nasogastric tube decompression, intravenous antibiotics, and intravenous fluid resuscitation) was applied in 4.9% of cases. surgical site infections were the main cause of their postoperative complications, According to the patient's hospital stays, the majority of patient (52%) hospitalizations lasted between 8 and 14 days. the overall mortality rate in this study was 5(4.9%), Discussion: Intestinal obstruction is one of the most common life-threatening emergencies all over the world presenting as acute abdomen and requiring surgical admission and management, Surgeons should keep up their aggressive approach to the elective treatment of all abdominal hernias and prompt surgical intervention in patients who have acute mechanical intestinal obstruction caused by incarcerated hernias. According to Mr. Hamilton Bailey, The sun should not rise and set on an unresolved case of intestinal obstruction The mortality rate related to intestinal obstruction was associated with the late presentation of the disease. Conclusion: Small bowel obstruction is more frequent than large bowel obstruction in this study, fibrous adhesion and incarcerated hernia were the leading causes of small bowel obstruction. Adhesiolysis and resection of non-viable. Bowel resection and anastomosis were the most frequent intraoperative procedures. More research utilizing prospective study designs is recommended.