Enterotomy is the surgical incision into an intestine. It may be purposeful or a complication of an
abdominal surgery
The term abdominal surgery broadly covers Surgery, surgical procedures that involve opening the abdomen (laparotomy). Surgery of each abdominal organ is dealt with separately in connection with the description of that organ (see stomach, kidney, l ...
, such as exploratory
laparotomies or
hernia repair
Hernia repair refers to a surgical operation for the correction of a hernia—a bulging of internal organs or tissues through the wall that contains it. It can be of two different types: herniorrhaphy; or hernioplasty. This operation may be perfo ...
.
An enterotomy can be done to remove an obstruction or foreign body from the intestine.
If an accidental enterotomy is not noticed during surgery, it can take days to become apparent. Surgical repair is required.
References
Digestive system surgery
{{surgery-stub