Preventable causes of bowel resection in Zaria, Nigeria: a report of 93 cases.

This report presents a summary of 93 bowel resections which were considered to be for preventable causes and performed during 5 years (1984-1988) in our Hospital in Zaria. These resections constituted 57% of the total bowel resections performed in that period and were responsible for an annual resection rate of 19 "avoidable" bowel resections. The resections included 48 for strangulated external groin hernia with gangrene of the bowel or doubtful viability, typhoid perforation eleven, vehicular trauma ten, anastomotic dehiscence eight and other non-neoplastic causes of faecal fistula eight. Multiple special forms of preventable causes of bowel resection accounted for 8 resections. These were foreign body impacted in the ileum 1, incisional hernia 1, large irreducible scrotal hernia in a recently gangrenous scrotum 1, irreducible rectal prolapse 2, paracolostomy abscess 1, bowel necrosis from residual pelvic abscess 1 and from multiple intra-abdominal abscesses one.