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Bowel obstruction
Make it clearer
Bowel obstruction is when food or stool can no longer move forward through the intestines. The passage can be closed off completely, which is called a complete obstruction, or only in part, which is called a partial obstruction.
Think of the small intestine as a tube whose contents keep moving along it. In a mechanical obstruction, a physical barrier closes off the lumen, the hollow space inside the tube. It is like a closed street: traffic backs up behind the closure, and past it the street is empty. Above the barrier, pressure rises and the bowel distends, stretching like a balloon being inflated; below it, by contrast, the bowel decompresses.
That distension has consequences for the bowel wall. The blood that should drain out of it through the veins can no longer leave properly, and the wall becomes edematous, swollen with fluid. The wall also becomes more permeable, letting more through, and fluid gets trapped inside the intestine. That loss, together with vomiting and eating and drinking less, contributes to dehydration.
In brief
Bowel obstruction occurs when food or stool cannot move forward through the intestines; it can be complete or partial.
In mechanical small bowel obstruction, a physical barrier closes off the lumen: above it, pressure rises and the bowel distends; below it, the bowel decompresses.
A closed street: traffic backs up before it; beyond, it's empty.
In the distended wall, venous outflow is compromised and edema develops; now more permeable, the wall sequesters fluid in the lumen, a loss that, with vomiting and reduced intake, contributes to dehydration.
Sources (2)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineIntestinal Obstruction, MedlinePlusPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingSmall Bowel Obstruction, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated