mall bowel resection is preferred over small bowel bypass in situations where the pathologic condition is confined to a segment of the small bowel that is not impacted in a dense irradiation fibrotic pelvis or where a knuckle of small bowel is involved within a pelvic tumor. Resection over bypass should also be performed in those cases where extensive dissection of the small bowel to locate and mobilize the pathologic segment is not required. If the surgeon insists on mobilization and resection of all small bowel disease, the surgeon must be willing to resect the ileum and right colon and perform a high ileotransverse colostomy. The multiple enterotomies not only spill intestinal contents into the wound but also are frequently overlooked at the time of repair. In addition, those enterotomies that are repaired become adherent to the dense irradiated fibrotic pelvic walls and break down at the suture line to form recurrent enteric cutaneous and/or vaginal fistulae. In summary, experienced pelvic surgeons have learned (usually the hard way) that small bowel resection should be confined to those few cases where the pathologic segment of the small bowel can be easily mobilized and isolated. Otherwise, small bowel bypass should be performed.