“Choice of surgical approach for the treatment of acute small bowel obstruction: A retrospective analysis from a high-volume single center in Milan, Northern Italy”

Background

Acute small bowel obstruction (aSBO) is the most common cause (76%) of acute intestinal obstruction. Laparoscopy use is still controversial in aSBO and indications not yet clearly defined. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of a laparoscopic approach in aSBO by using specific pre-operative criteria for appropriate patient selection.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients accepted at the Emergency Department for aSBO between January 2016 and March 2021 and performed a comparative analysis between types of treatment, considering demographics, clinical and radiological presentation, non-operative vs. operative management, intraoperative outcome, and postoperative course. We used a logistic regression to identify the variables related to surgical approach and built a predictive score upon the multivariable predictive model: the “SABO score”.

Results

198 patients were included in the study, of which 145 underwent surgery and 43 were successfully treated laparoscopically. Age and comorbidities were associated with open surgery (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.4–7.2, p = 0.006 and OR 2.7, 95% CI: 1.1–6.5, p = 0.023). A SABO score ≥ 0 identified an open approach with a sensitivity of 75.4% and a specificity of 69.8%.

Conclusions

Laparoscopy is growing in importance even in emergency settings. Our analysis suggests that a laparoscopic approach can be safe and feasible in aSBO management. Correct patient selection appears to be the key for a successful minimally invasive approach. SABO score therefore could be helpful in choosing the correct surgical strategy for patients with aSBO.