A review is presented of the cases treated in this department between 1944 and 1979. Radical surgery was carried out in 388 patients out of 746, whereby the majority of patients were in the older age brackets. Paralytic ileus was present in about 25% of cases and three-stage procedure was, thus, required in the management of these patients. The mortality decreased from 16.6% to 2.1%. The 5-year survival rate was on the lower limits of the range quoted in the literature. Aetiology diagnosis and preoperative management is discussed.