Medical Questions & Answers

Question: What are the adhesions that patients complain about after surgery?
When you are cut, inflammation occurs to stick the edges of the wound together, and eventually heal the wound. During an operation, minor damage to all tissue in the area is inevitable, and this becomes slightly inflamed. If two areas of internal tissue in come into contact after an operation, they will heal together and form an adhesion. This is more likely when infected or damaged tissue is operated upon.
Once an adhesion forms, the bowel may become twisted around it, or it may tear and bleed, leading to pain. If at a latet opetation the adhesions are broken down, this damages the tissue again, and the subsequent inflammation allows the adhesions to form again. It is therefore a very difficult problem to deal with.

Question: Are there any new treatments for adhesions? They plague me to the extent that my lifestyle is physically restricted.
Adhesions are a relatively uncommon, but potentially serious and disabling complication, of any surgery within the abdomen. They form tough fibrous bands across the abdominal cavity between two points that have been inflamed or damaged during surgery. They are more common if there is an infection in the abdomen (eg. a burst appendix), but sometimes occur after a relatively minor operation. They appear to develop more readily in short, fat females, but the reason for this is unknown.
Most adhesions produce no symptoms, but can occasionally trap a loop of bowel and cause an obstruction. More commonly, they cause a persistent colic in the gut as the intestine winds tightly around these fibrous bands.
The only treatment available is further surgery to cut away the adhesions. During this further surgery, which may be done through an instrument called a laparoscope using only a 2 cm incision, extreme care is taken to prevent any bleeding into the abdomen, or any unnecessary injury to the bowel. Unfortunately, after a few months or years, the adhesions may reform and the symptoms start again. There is no permanent solution.

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Filed under: Intestines