2006 Volume 26 Issue 7 Pages 825-828
It appears that a conservative therapy should be tried initially for post-operative adhesive intestinal obstruction and we reviewed our results of htper baric oxygenation (HBO) therapy in our institution. We retrospectively evaluated 92 patients with post-operative adhesive intestinal obstruction treated with HBO between January 1998 and December 2003. They consisted of 65 men and 27 women, with a mean age of 63. 1 years. All of them underwent HBO, associated with a short or long tube, as necessary. Intestinal obstruction improved in 78 patients (84.8%), including 55 patients treated with HBO only and 23 treated with HBO combined with a short or long tube. HBO failed in 9 patients (9.8%), including 7 patients who required surgery and 2 patients who were successfully treated with a long tube. HBO were interrupted in 5 patients due to earache. Complication occurred in 32 patients, the most common being mild earache. In conclusion, HBO therapy combined with a short or long tube is safe and effective for patients with post-operative adhesive intestinal obstruction.
