blind loop syndrome


blind loop syn·drome

stagnation of intestinal contents with bacterial overgrowth, producing substances that interfere with absorption of fat, vitamins, and other nutrients; usually occurs in a portion of small intestine that has been excluded from the flow of chyme.
A complication of Billroth II subtotal gastroenterostomy—end-to-side enteroenteric anastomosis—that may arise long after surgery; the afferent loop consists of duodenum and a variable portion of jejunum, a loop that is a temporary reservoir for 1–1.5 litres of biliary and pancreatic secretions; after a fatty meal, the contents of a partially obstructed afferent loop increase and ‘explosively’ enter the stomach and may be regurgitated as greenish bilious fluid; other symptoms include intermittent diarrhoea due to disaccharidase deficiency, abdominal ‘colic’, haemorrhage, vitamin deficiency and neurologic symptoms; with prolonged partial obstruction, the stool is steatorrhoeic—bulky, grey, and greasy—accompanied by weight loss; complete blind loop obstruction may be a medical emergency with rapid deterioration, shock, and perforation peritonitis
Management Antibiotics—e.g., T-S—loop shortening, afferent-to-efferent or Roux-en-Y anastomoses or gastrojejunostomy

blind loop syndrome

Afferent loop syndrome, stagnant loop syndrome Surgery A complication of Billroth II subtotal gastroenterostomy–end-to-side enteroenteric anastomosis that may arise long after surgery; the afferent loop consists of duodenum and a variable portion of jejunum, a loop that is a temporary reservoir for 1-1.5 liters of biliary and pancreatic secretions; after a fatty meal, the contents of a partially obstructed afferent loop ↑ and 'explosively' enter the stomach and may be regurgitated as greenish bilious fluid; other Sx include intermittent diarrhea due to disaccharidase deficiency, abdominal 'colic', hemorrhage, vitamin deficiency and neurologic Sx; with prolonged partial obstruction, the stool is steatorrheic–bulky, gray, and greasy, accompanied by weight loss; complete blind loop obstruction may be a medical emergency with rapid deterioration, shock, and perforation peritonitis Treatment Antibiotics–eg, T-S, loop shortening, afferent-to-efferent or Roux-en-Y anastomoses or gastrojejunostomy

blind loop syn·drome

(blīnd lūp sin'drōm) A group of symptoms that result from the overgrowth of bacteria (primarily anaerobic) in a surgically bypassed or disconnected segment ofintestine: local or systemic infection, fat malabsorption, and vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies.

blind loop syndrome

An uncommon disorder caused by stagnation of bowel contents as a result of adhesions, constrictions, pouches or other similar abnormalities. It features diarrhoea, fatty stools, abdominal pain, loss of weight, anaemia and vitamin deficiency.