Malfunctioning postgastrectomy stoma; diagnosis and treatment.

Individualization in the treatment of patients with malfunctioning gastrojejunostomy stomas is paramount. Prompt surgical intervention in critically ill patients is necessary to save life. In the early postoperative phase, the use of barium studies is disappointing and very seldom gives information as to the actual site of the obstruction. In surgical treatment, operation directly upon the stoma should be avoided as much as possible. The release of small bowel obstruction, the reduction of intussusception or the correction of retraction of the jejunum through the mesocolon can be accomplished readily. Double or single jejunostomy for feeding and decompression are all that is necessary in cases in which no cause can be found for obstruction at or below the stoma. In a patient with peptic ulcer, the use of enteroenterostomy below the stoma is unphysiological and will predispose to gastrojejunal ulcer at a later date.