Role of Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein in Diagnosing Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction: A Pilot Study

Introduction: The incidence of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) after abdominal surgery is 2.4%. Delay in surgery increases morbidity and mortality. Plasma intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) levels indicate intestinal damage and may guide treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma I-FABP levels may optimize selection of patients requiring surgery presenting with ASBO.

Patients with suspected ASBO underwent a contrast swallow. If bowel transit was absent after 8 h, surgery was performed. I-FABP levels were assessed at several moments. Data were analyzed by comparing groups based on bowel transit, ischemia, and positive or negative laparotomies. Furthermore, a true operative group (patients with mechanical obstruction during surgery and patients needing operative treatment who deceased due to non-operative treatment) was compared to a true non-operative group (patients with negative laparotomies and patients successfully treated with non-operative treatment).

Median I-FABP levels were higher in patients without bowel transit (1,207 pg/mL) than in patients with bowel transit (589 pg/mL, p = 0.01). Median I-FABP levels in the negative laparotomy group (301 pg/mL) showed a trend to significance compared to the positive laparotomy group (1,177 pg/mL, p = 0.05). There was no significant difference between the true operative group (1,150 pg/mL) and the true non-operative group (664 pg/mL) or between proven ischemia (975 pg/mL) and no ischemia (921 pg/mL).

I-FABP might help identify ASBO patients in whom surgery can be postponed.