Some Causes of Perforation
Area of Perforation | Causes | Comments |
|---|---|---|
Anywhere along the digestive tract | Injury | — |
— | ||
Forceful vomiting | — | |
Injury caused by a medical procedure | Esophageal rupture is typically caused by an endoscope, balloon dilator, or bougie (a thin cylinder-shaped instrument). | |
Swallowing strong corrosive material | Typically, battery acid or lye is swallowed. | |
Stomach or the first segment of the small intestine (duodenum) | Perforation in this area can occur in people who have had no previous ulcer symptoms. | |
Swallowing strong corrosive material | Such material typically damages the stomach rather than the small intestine. | |
A blockage that cuts off the blood supply to the intestine (strangulating obstruction) | — | |
Possibly appendicitis and Meckel diverticulitis | — | |
A blockage (obstruction) | Blockage typically results from cancer or impacted stool. | |
People who are taking prednisone or other medications that inhibit the immune system (immunosuppressants) are at high risk of developing diverticulitis. However, these people may have few symptoms. | ||
Inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease) | — | |
Expansion of the large intestine (toxic megacolon) | — | |
Sometimes spontaneous | — | |
Injury that occurs during surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) or liver biopsy Rarely, inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) | Injury may be to the gallbladder or bile ducts. |