What is hyperactive bowel sounds?

Bowel sounds are intermittent gurgling sounds produced by the flow of gas and fluid in the intestinal canal during intestinal peristalsis. Under normal circumstances, the bowel sounds are 4-5 times per minute, with a wide variation in frequency sound and tone, and frequent and obvious after meals. If the intestinal peristalsis increases, the bowel sounds can reach more than 10 times per minute and are loud and high-pitched, even metallic, which is called hyperintestinal sounds. Hyperactive bowel sounds are mainly caused by the following diseases: first, intestinal inflammation such as acute enterocolitis, dysentery, abdominal confined inflammation such as pelvic abscess, interstitial abscess, etc.; second, early mechanical intestinal obstruction can appear hyperactive bowel sounds with a significantly higher tone. If the bowel sounds weaken or disappear, it indicates intestinal necrosis, peritonitis, etc., which requires active surgical treatment; third, portal hypertension, bleeding from ruptured esophagogastric fundic varices, biliary bleeding, etc. can also cause hyperactive bowel sounds. If the patient has persistent increase of hyperintestinal sounds, it is recommended that the patient should go to the local gastroenterology department for consultation and choose the appropriate treatment plan according to the cause.