[Management of typhoid perforation of the small bowel: a case series in Western French Guiana]

The purpose of this retrospective study of a five-year period in western French Guiana is to report our experience in the management of small bowel perforation due to Salmonella typhi and to underline the main diagnostic and therapeutic pitfalls. Even if clinical and laboratory findings were compatible, final diagnosis was reserved until confirmation by postoperative bacteriological findings. In patients without advanced peritonitis, excellent results can be achieved by excision of the edges of the lesion followed by direct suture in cases involving single perforations and by segmental resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis in cases involving multiple perforations. However these techniques cannot be extended to patients presenting severe peritonitis who must be treated by bowel diversion.