Which statement best summarizes the timing of an adynamic bowel obstruction?

• A. Acute due to infection
• B. Chronic progression
• C. Usually postoperative
• D. Result of autoimmune attack

Answer: (C)

Adynamic bowel obstruction, or paralytic ileus, happens when the bowel loses its ability to move, not because of a blockage but due to slowed motility. The timing is most characteristic in the postoperative setting—the bowel often becomes nonfunctional after abdominal or pelvic surgery because of surgical handling, anesthesia, and opioid pain meds. This postoperative ileus typically develops in the immediate to early postoperative period and then improves as recovery progresses, fluids and electrolytes are balanced, and opioid use is minimized.

That’s why this option fits best: the common scenario is after surgery, making the timing “usually postoperative.” The other possibilities don’t match the typical course. An infection can trigger ileus but isn’t defined by a postoperative timing pattern; autoimmune processes aren’t the usual cause of a short-term postoperative ileus; and a chronic, long-lasting course isn’t how a typical adynamic ileus behaves.