1 Day Of Diffuse in Surgery — 24yo Man | General Surgery | SMLE Q#1363
SMLE Question #1363
Surgery
General Surgery
Objective: OBJ-TRACH-EMERG-01
Last updated: February 2026
A 24-year-old man presents with 1 day of diffuse crampy abdominal pain, abdominal distension, nausea, and repeated bilious vomiting. He has not passed flatus or stool for 18 hours and has no history of abdominal surgery. Examination shows a distended abdomen with high-pitched bowel sounds and mild diffuse tenderness. An upright abdominal radiograph shows multiple dilated small-bowel loops with air-fluid levels and minimal colonic gas. In a patient with no prior abdominal surgery, what is the most common cause of small bowel obstruction?
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