cause of LBO.The most common locations are the rectum, sigmoid colon, and the splenic exure; while lesions in the right colon, where stool is liquid, require the lumen to be almost completely closed to cause clinical LBO. In the absence of perforation or isch­emia, endoscopic dilation and stenting of masses and strictures may be helpful in selected cases, and may provide an alterna­tive to multistage surgery. Stenting or dilation permits relief of acute obstruction, resuscita­tion of the patient, and mechanical bowel preparation prior to resection and re­anastomosis, thus potentially avoiding ileos­tomy or colostomy. Stenting is most often successful for left-sided lesions. Right-sided lesions and distal rectal lesions tend to be much more difcult technically and not great candidates. Patients with left-sided obstruc­tion may be treated with a decompression tube as a bridge to surgery. Palliative stenting may be an option in patients who are poor surgical candidates or who have advanced cancer.