Stephen J. Schueler, M.D.

Overview Symptoms Underlying Cause Anatomy

Hole in the Bowel Overview

Another name for Hole in the Bowel is Perforated Bowel.

What is a perforated bowel?
A person with a perforated bowel has a hole in the wall of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine. The perforated bowel allows food or stool to leak into the abdomen. The food or stool causes severe inflammation of the inside of the abdomen, called peritonitis. Causes of perforated bowel include abdominal injury, inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer disease, colorectal cancer, and diverticulitis.

What are the symptoms of a perforated bowel?
Symptoms of a perforated bowel include severe abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, abdominal tenderness, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

How does the doctor treat a perforated bowel?
Treatment for a perforated bowel requires surgery to repair the hole in the stomach or intestine.

Continue to Hole in the Bowel Symptoms

Last Updated: Aug 28, 2010 References

PubMed Hole in the Bowel References
  1. de Feiter PW, Soeters PB, Dejong CH. Rectal perforations after barium enema: a review. Dis Colon Rectum. 2006 Feb;49(2):261-71. [16328608]
  2. Donahue L. Spontaneous intestinal perforation. Neonatal Netw. 2007 Sep-Oct;26(5):335-51. [17926662]
  3. Furukawa A, Sakoda M, Yamasaki M, Kono N, Tanaka T, Nitta N, Kanasaki S, Imoto K, Takahashi M, Murata K, Sakamoto T, Tani T. Gastrointestinal tract perforation: CT diagnosis of presence, site, and cause. Abdom Imaging. 2005 Sep-Oct;30(5):524-34. [16096870]
  4. Luning TH, Keemers-Gels ME, Barendregt WB, Tan AC, Rosman C. Colonoscopic perforations: a review of 30,366 patients. Surg Endosc. 2007 Jun;21(6):994-7. Epub 2007 Apr 24. [17453289]