Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is most commonly caused
by adhesions from previous abdominal surgery and, more
rarely, by hernias, malignancy, volvulus or intussusception.
The preferred initial treatment of adhesional SBO is nonoperative
whereas other causes of SBO usually require
expeditious surgery. SBO during pregnancy is an extremely
rare clinical event with an incidence of 0.001–0.003% and
it is secondary to adhesions in around 70% of cases.1 Traditional
teaching would dictate that the safest way to protect
the fetus is to treat the mother in the same way as a
non-pregnant woman (ie conservatively) while avoiding
ionising radiation and harmful drugs.2 However, the historical
literature suggests a more aggressive surgical
approach may be necessary.3,4