1. Primary small bowel malignant tumors. Unrecognized until emergent laparotomy.
- Author
-
Brophy C and Cahow CE
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Carcinoid Tumor pathology, Carcinoid Tumor surgery, Child, Emergencies, Female, Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage etiology, Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage surgery, Humans, Intestinal Obstruction etiology, Intestinal Obstruction surgery, Intestinal Perforation etiology, Intestinal Perforation surgery, Laparotomy, Lymphoma pathology, Lymphoma surgery, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Metastasis, Neoplasms, Multiple Primary, Retrospective Studies, Adenocarcinoma pathology, Adenocarcinoma surgery, Intestinal Neoplasms pathology, Intestinal Neoplasms surgery, Intestine, Small, Sarcoma pathology, Sarcoma surgery
- Abstract
Forty-five consecutive cases of primary small bowel malignant tumors treated at our institution from 1969-1983 were reviewed. Sixty-four per cent of the patients had surgical emergencies. Fourteen patients had intestinal obstruction, 11 had gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage, and 4 had perforation of the small bowel. The remaining 16 patients were explored for persistent symptoms, an abnormality on GI series, or a mass lesion on CT scan. Thirty-eight patients underwent resection of the tumor and seven had palliative bypass procedures. This study suggests that a high index of suspicion and early diagnostic evaluation including a small bowel series is necessary to prevent the large number of small bowel tumors presenting as surgical emergencies. In particular, small bowel tumors should be suspected in patients with abdominal pain of unknown etiology, unexplained weight loss, or occult GI bleeding. more...
- Published
- 1989