Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is a common postoperative complication and remains a leading cause of emergency surgical admissions. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding the diagnosis, conservative management, and surgical treatment of ASBO, focusing on the role of standardized protocols in optimizing patient outcomes. ASBO most often develops following abdominal or pelvic surgery, especially after open procedures. Conservative management, including nasogastric decompression, water-soluble contrast studies (e.g., Gastrografin), and nutritional support, is effective in 65% to 80% of cases without ischemia or strangulation. However, fever, leukocytosis, persistent pain, or computed tomographic findings (e.g., the whirl sign or bowel wall thickening) necessitate early surgical intervention. Evidence indicates that extending conservative management beyond 3 to 5 days in nonresponders increases both morbidity and mortality. Recent studies do not support routine antibiotic or antispasmodic use in uncomplicated ASBO. Although analgesics and ambulation may provide symptom relief, their impact on surgical timing remains unclear. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis has demonstrated reduced morbidity and shorter hospital stays versus open surgery in appropriately selected patients. Accurate differentiation between ASBO and postoperative ileus is essential for effective treatment. Conservative management remains the first-line approach in cases of partial ASBO, but clinicians must be vigilant for signs of clinical deterioration. Surgical management, including laparoscopic intervention, should be promptly pursued if conservative therapy fails or patients exhibit clinical decline. Implementing evidence-based guidelines and individualized decision-making improves patient safety, reduces complications, and enhances overall outcomes. Ongoing research is needed to refine conservative strategies and identify predictive markers for early surgical intervention.

Gallstone ileus is rare complication of cholecystitis or cholelithiasis due to the formation of an aberrant communication between the gallbladder and small bowel. The movement of the gallstone to the small bowel may cause bowel obstruction. A patient presented with acute onset abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and tenderness around the umbilical area. Physical exam, laboratory tests, and computed tomography were performed. Within 24 hours the patient had developed peritonitis. He received an emergency exploratory laparotomy, and small bowel resection and anastomosis of the proximal jejunum. The patient had gallstone ileus complicated by the presence of an intraluminal abscess and perforation due to pressure necrosis caused by the gallstone. The patient recovered and was discharged on postoperative day 31. Despite having had a cholecystectomy 20 years prior this case highlights a patient who suffered a rare case of gallstone ileus.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is one of the many causes of hypercoagulability which often presents with vascular thrombosis in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. Symptoms vary depending on the location of the thrombosis. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as paralytic ileus is one of the rare symptoms in APS. The main therapy for APS is use of anticoagulants, but this becomes difficult when there is ongoing bleeding. We report a successful but challenging treatment of a 42-year-old patient who presented with paralytic ileus due to APS with cofounded on-going renal bleeding caused by renal angiomyolipoma.

Purpose
This retrospective study investigated the feasibility, diagnostic, and therapeutic advantages of the gastrografin challenge on patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO).
Methods
There were 125 patients reviewed who were admitted to the Department of General Surgery at a single institution (September 2018 to August 2019) with a diagnosis related to ASBO. The study population included 100 patients (114 cases) who had received initial conservative management. Patient characteristics and operation rates were compared between the gastrografin challenge success group and failure group, and operation rates and length of hospital stay were compared between the gastrografin challenge group and “non-challenge” group.
Results
During the study period, 21 patients with ASBO underwent the gastrografin challenge. The challenge was successful in 17 patients where the bowel obstruction was resolved without the need for surgery. Among patients who failed the challenge, 2 patients underwent adhesiolysis and 2 patients were able to progress their diet avoiding surgery. In patients who underwent surgery (n = 2), the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the gastrografin challenge group compared with the “non-challenge” group sub analysis (n = 13 cases; 10.5 vs. 20 days, p = 0.038), indicating that the gastrografin challenge assisted rapid decision-making for surgery. No adverse events were reported for the 21 gastrografin challenges.
Conclusion
In patients with ASBO, the gastrografin challenge is an accurate, safe method to determine the need for surgery. In addition, the gastrografin challenge may reduce the length of stay in patients who required surgery for ASBO resolution.

Citations

• Postoperative Gastroparesis: Successful Treatment by Neostigmine
  Ashirbad Panda, Abhishek Mishra, Birendra Rajwade, Swati Mohanty, M. D. Ibrarullah
  Indian Journal of Surgery.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Neuroimmune communication of the cholinergic system in gut inflammation and autoimmunity
  Namrita Halder, Sourabh Yadav, Girdhari Lal
  Autoimmunity Reviews.2024; 23(12): 103678.     CrossRef