Subgroup analysis by water-soluble contrast status
| Variable | No. (%) of patients* | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No WSC n = 104 | WSC n = 48 | ||
| Planned initial management | |||
| Nonoperative | 83 (79.8) | 48 (100.0) | < 0.001§¶ |
| Operative | 21 (20.2) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Nasogastric tube use | 81 (77.9) | 48 (100.0) | < 0.001§¶ |
| Failed nonoperative intent, required surgery | 3 (3.6) | 7 (14.6) | 0.01§¶ |
| Operative approach† | |||
| Open | 17 (73.9) | 4 (57.1) | 0.7§¶ |
| Laparoscopic | 5 (21.7) | 3 (42.9) | |
| Bowel resection | 9 (8.6) | 2 (4.2) | 0.5§¶ |
| Timing of radiographic resolution after WSC administration, h‡ | |||
| 4 | — | 24 (58.5) | 0.04¶** |
| 24 | — | 12 (29.3) | |
| Time to surgery, median, d | 1 | 1 | 0.2§†† |
WSC = water-soluble contrast.
↵* Except where noted otherwise.
↵† Denominator is the number of patients in each cohort who proceeded to surgery (initially or after failed nonoperative trial).
↵‡ In 12 patients the SBO resolved after 24 hours, at which point no radiograph would have been obtained.
↵§ Comparing WSC versus no WSC.
↵¶ χ2 test.
↵** Comparing resolution at 4 hours versus 24 hours.
↵†† Wilcoxon rank-sum test.