Difficulties in diagnosing acute intestinal obstruction in the elderly (with a clinical case description)

Abstract

Acute intestinal obstruction is one of the most dangerous pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, requiring timely diagnosis and urgent treatment. It occurs when the direct flow of intestinal contents is interrupted or worsened by a mechanical cause, most often intra-abdominal adhesions, malignant neoplasms and hernias. According to the World Health Organization, in 2018, the number of newly diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer worldwide amounted to 1.8 million, of which up to 30 % were complicated by intestinal obstruction.

We have described a clinical case of obstructive colonic obstruction with late a fatal outcome, described the stages of diagnosis and treatment in a hospital setting in Minsk. The described clinical case illustrates that a comprehensive assessment of abdominal diseases with intestinal syndrome is necessary in people over 65 years of age, as a risk group for high comorbidity and atypical course of diseases. It requires an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis, which will help to avoid errors in the tactics of treating the disease.