Strangulating adhesive small bowel obstruction with normal radiographs.

A review of patients having laparotomy for adhesive small bowel obstruction has revealed that many patients have normal radiographs on admission and that this group of patients, who are predominantly women, have delayed laparotomies and are at a significantly increased risk of developing strangulating obstruction while in hospital. The clinical and laboratory data which may distinguish strangulating from non-strangulating obstruction were examined and found to be non-discriminatory in this series.