A person with a gastrointestinal perforation has a hole in the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine. A person with a perforated bowel has a hole in the wall of the large or small intestine.

When a hole occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, the opening allows food or stool to leak into the abdomen. Air can also leak into the abdominal cavity and this can often been detected on chest x-ray.

The contents of the intestine can cause inflammation or infection inside the abdomen. This condition is called peritonitis. A bowel perforation requires surgery, in order to repair the hole in the intestine.