Abdominal emergencies in a tropical African population.

A decade ago intestinal obstruction was the commonest cause of general surgical abdominal emergency admissions in many tropical African countries. Recently there has been a change in this pattern and acute appendicitis has become the major cause of emergency admissions. Most cases of intestinal obstruction are due to obstructed (strangulated or incarcerated) groin hernia. Intestinal ascariasis is a declining cause of intestinal obstruction while colorectal cancer is now an important differential diagnosis. Trauma due to road traffic accidents is increasing in frequency. Gallbladder disease is not a major problem; symptoms suggestive of acute gallbladder disease are more likely to be due to an amoebic abscess in the West African environment.