[Small intestinal ileus in the dog and cat--catamnestic observations of 704 patients].

Following an introductory review of the literature, the symptoms, diagnostic procedures and aetiology as well as treatment, long-term results and prognosis of the individual forms of ileus are described and discussed, based on the clinical histories of 704 patients with ileus of the small intestine. Whereas ileal obstipation and other forms of obstructive ileus were revealed to have a fair prognosis, a long-term cure could be achieved in only half of the patients with either a string foreign body, intussusception or an intestinal adhesion. The prognosis in cases of malignant intestinal tumours, intestinal adhesions resulting from intra-abdominal tumours and mesenteric volvulus was hopeless.