What is small bowel resection?
The small intestine is a tube that connects the stomach in the colon. It is part of the digestive system to absorb nutrients from foods that have been eaten. The small intestine consists of three segments:
- Duodenum-the first and shortest segment that receives half the food has been digested by the stomach.
- Jejunum-The middle segment, where almost all nutrients are absorbed.
- Ileum – The last segment, which is the intersection with the colon.
All three may suffer damage. If it cannot be repaired, a small bowel resection will be performed. The resection procedure has a different name based on the cut. These include duodenotomy (removal of half or all parts of the duodenum), Jejunostomy (removal of part or whole jejunum), or Ileostomy (total or partial ileum removal).
The small bowel resection is a complex surgical intervention, the point is to remove certain parts of the internal organs, because of the observed digestive disorders. The Small Bowel Resection is prescribed for tumors (benign and malignant), vascular thrombosis, vessel strangulation and wound. The length of the internal organs of each person may differ, which is why doctors consider the procedure of intestinal excision more than 1.5 meters as dangerous.
Indications and causes of resection
The small bowel resection is an urgent surgical operation prescribed by physicians for obstruction, thrombosis and tumor detection. If the patient is removed from a wide intestinal area, then after the procedure for 1-2 days the patient often defecates, which becomes normal after the digestive system is recovered.
Read also:
Risk Factors, Causes, and 9 Symptoms Of Bowel Obstruction + Treatment.
After surgery, a person may become paralyzed, and even food nutrients will not be able to make the patient stand. According to statistics, people after resection lived 5-10 years less.
The excision of the small intestine is done in the most extreme cases, when other therapeutic methods cannot cure a person.
The main causes of surgery are: gastric ulcer or hemorrhage, tumors such as neoplasms, pre-cancerous polyps found in the small intestine, chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, blockage, trauma to the abdominal cavity, consequently the intestinal injured mechanically.
Read also:
13 Frequent Bowel Movements Causes.
Who needs to undergo Small Bowel Resection and expected results.
Small Bowel Resection is done to treat:
Small bowel cancer
Malignant tumors can form in the small intestine and cause blockage. Usually to treat cancer, the doctor chooses to remove a segment that contains cancer. This surgical procedure is often followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The goal is to make sure that no cancer cells are left in the small intestine.
Bowel resection will be performed if cancer polyps and non-cancerous tumors are found in the small intestine
Crohn’s disease
Usually, Crohn’s disease treatment is done by changing the lifestyle and therapy of drugs. Surgical procedures are the last option for the disease. If non-invasive treatment is unable to relieve the symptoms of the patient, a small bowel resection will be performed.
Severe ulcer.
The ulcer is a hole in the mucous membranes that exist in the small intestine. Usually, ulcers are formed due to infection or cancer, and often cause heavy bleeding.
For expected results, most patients recover well after surgery. Meanwhile, there are patients who have complications, including difficult to absorb the nutrients needed so they can lead to malnutrition.
What are the risks of small bowel resection?
Any surgery has a potential risk, including:
- Blood clots in feet
- Shortness of breath
- Pneumonia
- Reaction to Anesthesia
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Damage to the surrounding structures.
The specific risks of small bowel surgery include:
- Often diarrhea
- Bleeding in the stomach
- Pus in the stomach, also known as an intra-abdominal abscess (which may require drainage)
- Pushing the intestines through the incision into your stomach (hernia incisions)
- Scar tissue that forms intestinal blockages requiring more surgery
- Short bowel syndrome (problem of absorbing vitamins and nutrients)
- Leaking in the area where the small intestine is reconnected (Anastomosis)
- Problem with a stoma
- Open Incision (dehiscence)
- Incision infection.
Read also:
Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
