Intestinal obstruction involves a partial or complete blockage of the bowel that results in the failure of the intestinal contents to pass through.
Obstruction of the bowel may be caused by ileus -- in which the bowel doesn't function correctly but there is no "mechanical" (anatomic) problem -- or by mechanical causes. Paralytic ileus, also called pseudo-obstruction, is one of the major causes of obstruction in infants and children.
