This article will explain why bowel sounds are important and what may cause them to be absent.
Causes of Absent Bowel Sounds
Bowel sounds are the by-product of food passing through thedigestive system.
In some cases, waste material can build up in the body and cause serious problems.
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How long this lasts varies from person to person.
Bowel blockage:A blockage is when something stops waste material from moving through the intestines.
Without adequate blood, the bowel may stop working properly.
Sometimes this can lead to constipation.
Toxic megacolon:This is a condition associated withulcerative colitisthat causes pain and a lack of bowel sounds.
It is an emergency and needs to be treated immediately.
These can includeblood testsand/or aCT scanof the abdomen.
In some cases, anendoscopymight be performed to look inside the digestive tract.
This might include acolonoscopyor anupper endoscopy.
Absent bowel sounds can be a normal side effect of abdominal surgery or use of certain pain medications.
U.S National Library of Medicine.
Zaborski D, Halczak M, Grzesiak W, Modrzejewski A.Recording and Analysis of Bowel Sounds.Euroasian J Hepatogastroenterol.
2015;5(2):6773. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10018-1137
National Library of Medicine.
