The spectrum of paediatric intestinal obstruction

Abstract

Background: Acute intestinal obstruction is very common surgical emergency in paediatric age. The purpose of this study was to determine the aetiology, clinical presentation, management and outcome of intestinal obstruction in children in a tertiary care hospital. Material & methods: This was a retrospective study of paediatric patients who presented with intestinal obstruction to the paediatric surgical unit. he study period was for one year. Data was extracted from the records. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 was used for data entry and analysis. Data were expressed as percentages and mean. Results: There were 80 cases of paediatric intestinal obstruction seen during the study period. A total of 6200 children were admitted into the children’s ward of the hospital during the study period, out of which intestinal obstruction accounted for 1.20%. Most of the patients (43.75%) presented with abdominal pain. Most common etiology was Ascariasis. Conclusion: The present study concluded that most of the patients presented with abdominal pain. Most common etiology was Ascariasis followed by Adhesions. Only 2.5% were discharged against medical advice.