Colon cancer and small bowel obstruction are two common reasons for surgery in the abdomen. Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. Small bowel obstruction is a blockage...
A small bowel resection may be done for cancer or obstruction. Some forms of gastric bypass surgery resect the bowel. Resection of the bowel can be done laparoscopically or through a large incision in the abdomen. Complications of small bowel...
Food poisoning is not a common cause of intestinal obstruction, a condition where stool cannot pass through the intestines, although botulism, a type of food poisoning, can cause ileus, a slowdown or stoppage of peristalsis. Peristalsis, the...
Cystic fibrosis is a disease that is inherited from one's parents--it is genetic in nature. It involves production of abnormally thick mucus in the body. Production of thick, sticky mucus can lead to clogging of various body systems such as the...
Colostomies divert stool from the colon to an opening on the abdominal wall. While many colostomies are permanent, some are placed temporarily to allow damaged bowel to heal after infection or removal of a portion of the intestine. In these cases,...
OxyContin, one of the brand products of oxycodone, is a prescription medication available in tablet form. It is classified as an opioid analgesic used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. OxyContin acts by binding to receptors called...
Cystic fibrosis, or CF, is an inherited disease, which occurs most commonly in the Caucasian population. According to the Mayo Clinic, CF occurs in about 1 out of every 3000 live births. The disease develops when a baby inherits two copies of a...
A hernia is a protrusion of an organ or soft tissue of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it. The types of abdominal hernias include direct inguinal, indirect inguinal, femoral, umbilical, incisional, diaphragmatic, hiatal,...
Flaxseed is a dietary supplement often used for its laxative properties. Ground flaxseeds contain soluble fiber that may improve bowel regularity. However, when taken in excess ground flaxseeds can cause constipation. In some cases, constipation...
After a major surgical procedure such as a gallbladder removal, gastric bypass, hip replacement, repair of an aneurysm or an abdominal hysterectomy, your surgeon may decide to withhold food for several days to prevent complications. Depending on...
The latex of the aloe vera plant--that is, the sticky residue that's left over once the aloe leaf has been slit open and the gel scraped away, then the remaining inner lining of the leaf left to dry--has long been used as a traditional oral...
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited, genetic condition common in people of northern European and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. People with cystic fibrosis have progressive lung disease that causes frequent infections and trouble clearing the airways....
Your body needs potassium to control the concentrations of several important chemicals inside your cells. When released from food in your small bowel, potassium dissolves in the watery fluids of your body and has a positive electrical charge. This...
An impacted colon occurs when the intestines can't move their contents efficiently through the digestive tract. Stool accumulates in the colon, becomes hard and unable to be expelled. The causes of an impacted colon vary but the outcome remains...
Stomach cramps and nausea are common symptoms that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. In most cases, stomach cramps and nausea occur as a result of minor digestive problems or common viral infections that clear up quickly....
Ascites is defined as the accumulation of fluid within the abdominal cavity. Ascites is a complication of health problems such as liver cirrhosis, abdominal trauma, cancer of organs within the abdominal cavity, health conditions that cause...
Gallstones are small stone-like objects usually composed of cholesterol that manifest in your gallbladder. In most cases, gallstones are asymptomatic and do not cause serious health problems. However, some stones may cause your gallbladder to...
An intestinal blockage or obstruction is the condition in which something prevents food and water from progressing through the digestive tract. The cause of an intestinal blockage can be either a mechanical obstruction (something physically in the...
Linseed oil, also called flaxseed oil, is derived from the dried and ripened seeds of the flax plant and is used as a nutritional supplement for its potential health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, linseed oil may be...
Potassium is necessary for muscle and nerve function in the body. Low potassium, or hypokalemia, can result in dangerous arrhythmias (heart rate abnormalities) and rhabdomyolysis (destruction of muscle tissue). Fortunately, the treatment for...
Surgery of the spine is performed for a wide variety of reasons, such as correcting bony alignments, tumor removal, disc resection and spinal cord decompression. All surgical procedures have risks involved with surgery in general, such as...
Numerous conditions can cause lower right intestinal pain. According to the Merck Manuals website, abdominal pain can be caused by many different structures within the abdomen, including the intestines. The large intestine is part of the digestive...
Numerous conditions can cause abdominal pain without bleeding. According to MayoClinic.com, it's often difficult to determine the exact location or source of abdominal pain. Structures in one area of the abdomen may cause pain locally or in...
Pancreatic surgery is a serious surgical treatment done on patients who need part of their pancreas removed. The pancreas is important in the digestion of food. Therefore, when part of it is removed, digestive problems can occur. To solve this,...
A bowel obstruction occurs when there is a blockage in your small intestine or colon that prevents contents from moving through. An obstruction of the small intestine, or bowel, can cause painful symptoms and serious complications. Walking might...
Bladder removal, a surgical procedure called radical cystectomy, is a form of treatment for bladder cancer. After a patient has her bladder removed, additional reconstructive surgery is necessary to create a diversionary path for urine flow....
Increased levels of potassium in the bloodstream, also known as hyperkalemia, can manifest in a variety of different ways and can be life threatening. It can result from a variety of causes such as drugs, muscle damage, kidney failure and...
Formation of stones within the gall bladder, also known as gall stones, is a condition that can cause many problems. Certain people are at increased risk, and a common saying among clinicians is people who have the "4 F's" get them the most: fat,...
No matter how technically skilled a surgeon is, there is always a risk of complications from surgery. Complications cost the health care system millions of dollars and can cost the patient grief, pain and anguish. Though most surgeries will yield...
