Gastrointestinal bypass surgery for non-strangulated adhesive small bowel obstruction

The effectiveness of gastrointestinal bypass surgery for treating non-strangulated adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) remains unclear. We aimed to compare the outcomes of gastrointestinal bypass and conventional surgery in patients with non-strangulated ASBO who were unresponsive to conservative treatment. The patients (n = 55) were divided into a bypass group (n = 15) undergoing bypass surgery and a non-bypass group (n = 40) undergoing conventional surgery, including adhesiolysis or small bowel resection. The serum albumin levels and prognostic nutritional index were comparable between the two groups at 12 months postoperatively. No patients (0%) in the bypass group and 13 (32.5%) in the non-bypass group experienced recurrent ASBO after surgery (p = 0.008). The recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the bypass group than in the non-bypass group (p = 0.030). Gastrointestinal bypass surgery may reduce long-term recurrence and thus represents a promising alternative surgical strategy for non-strangulated ASBO.