Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about intestinal obstruction in children.

If you want to follow along with written notes on this topic, you can follow along at zero definals.com slash obstruction or in the gastroenterology section of the zero definals pediatrics book. So let's get

straight into it. Intestinal obstruction is where a physical obstruction prevents the flow of

feces through the intestines. This blockage will lead to a back pressure through the gastrointestinal

system and cause vomiting.

It also causes absolute constipation,

which is where the patient is unable to pass stools or wind.

There's a few causes of intestinal obstruction,

and you should be familiar with these.

Mekonium ileus,

Hirsprings disease, asophageal atresia, duodenal atresia, interception,

imperforate anus, malrotation of the intestines with a volvulus, and strangulated hernia.

Let's talk about the presentation. What patients will present with persistent

vomiting, and this may be bilious containing bright green bile. There'll also be abdominal pain

and abdominal distension. There'll be absolute constipation with failure to pass stools or wind, and there'll be abnormal bowel sounds,

and these can be high-pitched and tinkling in early obstruction and absent in later obstruction.

To establish a diagnosis, the initial investigation of choice is an abdominal x-ray,

and this may show dilated loops of bowel

proximal to the obstruction and collapsed loops of bowel distal to the obstruction. There will also

be absence of air in the rectum. Let's talk about the management of intestinal obstruction

in children. Or children presenting of intestinal obstruction in children.

Or children presenting with intestinal obstruction need to be referred to a pediatric, surgical unit as an emergency.

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