[Disordered postoperative course. A retrospective analysis]

A brief definition of the term of "relaparotomy" is followed by reference to some causes of erroneous or delayed decisionmaking on re-operation. The background of postoperative disorders is, basically, one and the same throughout acute surgery: haemorrhage, peritonitis, ileus. Relaparotomy was necessary in 0.6 per cent of the authors' cases, in the course of five years. Lethality amounted to 31 per cent at an average age of 50 years. Colorectal carcinoma was the most common cause of relaparotomy, with ileus of the small intestine being the most important of all indications. The average intervals between primary surgery and relaparotomy were seven days for ileus, 3.5 days for peritonitis, and up to 24 hours for postoperative bleeding. A lethality analysis after the first operation showed that only two of 96 deaths were attributable to omission of relaparotomy. Finally, reference is made to some clinical peculiarities in postoperative developments as well as to evaluation and interpretation of paraclinical data.