Association of feces sign with prognosis of non-emergency adhesive small bowel obstruction.
BACKGROUND
/Objective: The feces sign has been reported as a possible predictive factor for non-operative treatment of small bowel obstruction. However, its relationship with prognosis of non-emergency adhesive small bowel obstruction remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the feces sign and prognosis of non-emergency adhesive small bowel obstruction.


METHODS
Ninety-two patients with non-emergency adhesive small bowel obstruction with the transitional zone visible on computed tomography were included. Patients were categorized into two groups: feces sign positive (n = 40) and negative (n = 52). Clinical features and prognosis were compared between the two groups. Cox proportional hazards regression models incorporating the feces sign were used to analyze odds of diet resumption and discharge.


RESULTS
Patients with feces sign were younger (p = 0.015), had a higher body mass index (p = 0.027), and a lower white blood cell count (p = 0.019) on admission. More patients with feces sign were successfully treated with fasting and/or nasogastric tube placement (p < 0.001), and no patient with feces sign suffered from recurrent obstruction after diet resumption. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with feces sign took less time for diet resumption (p = 0.007) and discharge (p = 0.004) than those without it. Using Cox proportional hazards regression model, the feces sign was reported as an independent predictor of diet resumption (odds ratio 1.685, p = 0.018) and discharge (odds ratio 1.861, p = 0.007).


CONCLUSIONS
The feces sign is associated with improved odds for diet resumption and discharge.
['Yamamoto|Yuta|Y|', 'Miyagawa|Yusuke|Y|', 'Kitazawa|Masato|M|', 'Tanaka|Hirokazu|H|', 'Kuroiwa|Masatsugu|M|', 'Hondo|Nao|N|', 'Koyama|Makoto|M|', 'Nakamura|Satoshi|S|', 'Tokumaru|Shigeo|S|', 'Muranaka|Futoshi|F|', 'Soejima|Yuji|Y|']
D000367:Age Factors D000368:Aged D004435:Eating D005215:Fasting D005243:Feces D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007415:Intestinal Obstruction D007421:Intestine, Small D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal D007902:Length of Stay D007958:Leukocyte Count D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D010351:Patient Discharge D011379:Prognosis D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Feces sign Non-emergency adhesive small bowel obstruction Transitional zone Diet resumption Length of stay