Adhesive obstruction.

portion had become 50o/, which has remained the position today. When the 3 groups are considered individually, the commonest cause of the occlusion was carcinoma, mostly of the large bowel, greatly in excess of cases presenting with adhesions (Tables III and IV). Throughout this period the incidence ofcarcinoma as a cause of obstruction was found to have been falling, especially from 1967 to 1975 (Fig. 2), and that of adhesions rising, particularly during the past few years of this series (Fig. 3). As will be shown below, these tendencies have continued since then in a dramatic way, and have been confirmed by other authors (1).