What is a small bowel obstruction?
A small bowel obstruction is a blockage of the small intestine. The small bowel begins at the end of the stomach and ends where the colon (large intestine) starts. In most adults, the small bowel is about 21 feet long. The bowels can become trapped inside the abdominal cavity in scar tissue or outside the abdominal cavity in a hernia. When blood flow to the blocked part of the bowel is cut off and the bowel wall begins to die, it is said to be strangulated. This can be life threatening but it occurs in only one fourth to one third of cases of small bowel obstruction.
